Tag: Home Run Derby

Dodgers teammates explained why they didn’t stick around to watch Teoscar Hernández win the Home Run Derby

Dodgers players were noticeably absent in the later rounds.

The Dodgers had five players make the trip to Arlington for the MLB All-Star festivities, which included Teoscar Hernández becoming the first Dodgers player in franchise history to win the Home Run Derby. But when it came time to celebrate with his fellow Dodgers All-Stars, the absence was noticeable.

Out of the Dodgers players to make the NL All-Star team, only pitcher Tyler Glasnow stuck around to watch the full event. Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Freddie Freeman all left by the later rounds — a stark contrast from the Phillies players who all cheered on Alec Bohm into the semifinal.

Smith — the Dodgers catcher — was asked why he left early, and he explained that his 2-year-old daughter was getting restless. So, he had to leave a bit early to be on dad duty. Freeman also had his three young sons at the event. Though that didn’t explain why Ohtani left early, Hernández wasn’t bothered that his teammates didn’t stick around.

Via The LA Times:

Hernández said he didn’t give his teammates a hard time, and that he hardly even noticed until seeing comments on social media wondering about their absences.

“At the end of the day, it was a good day,” he said. “I won. So that’s all that matters.”

If it didn’t bother Hernández, it shouldn’t be an issue. After all, the Home Run Derby is an exhibition for the fans’ entertainment.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1374]

Highlights from Pete Alonso in 2024 MLB Home Run Derby

Pete Alonso made his fifth appearance in the Home Run Derby, but for the second straight year, bowed out in the first round.

Former Florida standout and current New York Mets slugger [autotag]Pete Alonso[/autotag] fizzled out in the first round of the 2024 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby in his fifth event appearance. It is the second straight time he has exited the competition after the opening set.

Alonso earned the trophy in back-to-back seasons (2019-2020).

He slugged just five home runs this summer before taking his first timeout with 1:37 left on a three-minute timer. The breather did not help, however, as Alonso only knocked four more beyond the fence before time expired.

He added three more in bonus time, but it was still far from the 19 he needed to advance to the semifinals.

According to MLB.com, Alonso’s 12 homers averaged 417 feet and a 105.5-mph exit velocity. The hardest ball he hit came off the bat at 109 mph and the farthest ball he hit went 446 feet.

 

LOOK: Patrick Mahomes reacts to Bobby Witt Jr.’s spectacular Home Run Derby performance

Check out #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ reaction to #Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr.’s outstanding Home Run Derby performance.

Patrick Mahomes is an avid baseball fan, and when Bobby Witt Jr. took the field for the MLB’s annual Home Run Derby on Monday night, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback was glued to his television.

Witt fought hard against more experienced competition to finish as the event’s runner-up, falling just behind Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández in the derby’s final round.

Though Mahomes didn’t attend the spectacular showing of slugging prowess in Texas, he and his wife Brittany documented his experience of watching Witt from his living room on social media during each round of the event.

Check out their top posts below:

When Witt was eliminated, Mahomes took to his official account to post a final show of support for Kansas City’s budding star.

Though Witt didn’t leave with a trophy on Monday night, he will join fellow Royals Salvador Pérez, Cole Ragans, and Seth Lugo at the 2024 MLB All-Star Game on June 16.

Pete Alonso fizzles out at 2024 Home Run Derby

Pete Alonso came into the 2024 Home Run Derby with hopes of winning a third title, but he’ll have to wait another year after failing to make it out of the first round.

Even [autotag]Pete Alonso[/autotag] would describe his 2024 Home Run Derby as disappointing.

The former Florida slugger and current New York Met is a staple at the event, but consecutive first-round exits could mean the end of the Polar Bear at the All-Star Weekend event. Alonso hit just 12 homers at Glove Life Park in Arlington, Texas, the second-lowest total by any of the first-round competitors.

Alonso got off to a slow start, hitting just five dingers before using his first timeout with 1:37 left on a 3-minute timer. The brief break didn’t do him much good, though. Alonso only belted four more before time expired. He added three more in bonus time, but it was still far from the 19 he needed to advance to the semifinals.

According to MLB.com, Alonso’s 12 homers averaged 417 feet and a 105.5-mph exit velocity. The hardest ball he hit came off the bat at 109 mph and the farthest ball he hit went 446 feet.

Former Mets bench coach Dave Jauss threw to Alonso. The two struggled to find a rhythm, failing to connect for a home run on 15-straight pitches at on point. Alonso won the event in 2019 and 2021, but he hasn’t been able to tie Ken Griffey Jr. as a three-time champion.

Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm (21), Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez (21), Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. (20) and the Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez (19) advanced to the second round. Texas’ Adolis Garcia (18), Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna (16) and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson (11) were knocked out in the first round along with Alonso.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

MLB fans compared Ingrid Andress’s bizarre national anthem at the Home Run Derby to Fergie’s

This was… yeah.

The national anthem isn’t the easiest song to sing, but you never want to end up beefing it on national television.

That is, unfortunately, what happened to Ingrid Andress on Monday, who sung the national anthem ahead of the 2024 Home Run Derby. Her performance before the event was … not great, to say the least. So much so that even Alec Bohm of the Philadelphia Phillies had to stifle his reaction.

The entire affair certainly brings back memories of Fergie’s famously bad national anthem performance at the 2018 NBA All-Star Game, and MLB fans made those thoughts known on social media after the anthem was over.

For those morbidly curious, here’s how Andress’s anthem sounded on TV during the Home Run Derby.

Yeah, that’s definitely entering the pantheon of choppy national anthem performances. MLB fans, predictably, made reference to Fergie’s NBA All-Star anthem performance after all was said and done.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1374]

Marshawn Lynch draws cheers from Home Run Derby crowd

While Shohei Ohtani and Julio Rodriguez got plenty of attention, the biggest star in this town is still Seahawks great Marshawn Lynch.

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Seattle is the home of the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star game. Last night was the home run derby at T-Mobile park. While Shohei Ohtani and Julio Rodriguez got plenty of attention, the biggest star in this town is still Seahawks great Marshawn Lynch.

Watch the crowd cheer Beast Mode as he brought out the derby trophy.

Lynch later presented it to the winner, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whose father won the derby 16 years ago.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Ranking the top 33 wide receivers in the NFL

Best-case scenario for each NFC West team

Adolis García’s awful Home Run Derby pitcher had MLB fans making tons of jokes

Adolis García’s batting practice pitcher didn’t do him any favors on Monday night.

The MLB Home Run Derby didn’t exactly go Adolis García’s way on Monday night.

The two-time All-Star Texas Rangers outfielder didn’t have his best performance, but a lot of the blame can be placed on batting practice pitching that was, shall we say, sub-par.

The culprit was Rangers third-base coach Tony Beasley, whose pitching would have been great if he were a middle reliever but was less ideal when the goal of the competition is to hit home runs.

As the No. 4 seed, García was eliminated in the first round after hitting just 17 bombs compared to Randy Arozarena’s 24. And as you can see, the pitching wasn’t doing him any favors.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen a player’s derby hopes derailed by their own batting practice pitcher, but MLB fans certainly had lots of jokes at Beasley’s expense.

Adley Rutschman impressively switch hit during the Home Run Derby and it was awesome

Adley Rutschman absolutely stole the show with this performance.

Take a bow, Adley Rutschman, because this was an all-timer of a Home Run Derby performance.

During the first round of the 2023 Home Run Derby, Rutschman stole the show after switch hitting during his appearance. Rutschman originally took his three minute time bank versus Luis Robert Jr. as a lefty, where he hit 21 home runs. Then, Rutschman switched to batting righty, rattling off six absolute dingers as the crowd roared its approval.

While Robert Jr. was able to best Rutschman 28-27 just minutes later, the sight of the Baltimore Orioles catcher switch hitting and absolutely crushing it will no doubt be a top Home Run Derby moment of all time.

Seriously, that was awesome.

MLB fans were equally in awe of Rutschman’s incredible athleticism as he went yard from both sides of the plate.

Randy Arozarena wore his iconic cowboy boots for his Home Run Derby intro and MLB fans loved it

Randy Arozarena was introduced to the Home Run Derby in style.

Randy Arozarena brought his lucky cowboy boots with him to Seattle.

During the introductions to the 2023 Home Run Derby, Arozarena walked out in style, wearing his iconic lucky cowboy boots to saunter down the runway. If you aren’t aware of Arozarena’s tradition, the Tampa Bay Rays outfielder has a pair of lucky cowboy boots that have been with him since 2017. Arozarena even took batting practice ahead of the World Baseball Classic in his cowboy boots, which ultimately lead to Mexico’s surprise upset of the United States in the round robin.

While Arozarena didn’t wear his cowboy boots to bat during the derby itself, he certainly looked stylish during his introduction!

And hey, the lucky boots paid off! Arozarena advanced to the second round of the Home Run Derby after besting Adolis Garcia in the opening salvo. Later, Arozarena even brought them out during the final round of the night.

Here’s how MLB fans reacted after Arozarena wore his lucky cowboy boots during his Home Run Derby introduction.

MLB Home Run Derby announcers: Who’s calling the 2023 event on ESPN and ESPN2?

Here’s who will be on the mic Monday night.

Let’s get ready to watch some baseballs get hit very, very far.

The 2023 MLB Home Run Derby is here, with the MLB All-Star event taking place at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on Monday. We’ve got the full list of participants including a former champion, along with a look at the names of those who will pitch to the hitters, a job that’s key to get the stars to hit them out.

In the meantime: If you’re here, you’re probably wondering who the voices you’re hearing on the broadcasts of the event from Seattle. We have answers! Both ESPN and ESPN2 will broadcast it with different crews.

Here’s who will be involved:

ESPN

Karl Ravech, Eduardo Perez, Buster Olney and Alden Gonzalez

ESPN2

Kevin Brown, Jessica Mendoza and Mike Petriello