Tag: Home Run Derby

Every winner of the MLB Home Run Derby in the 2000s

Here’s every winner of the Home Run Derby since 2000.

The Home Run Derby is one of baseball’s best events.

We get to see baseballs fly out of All-Star Game host stadiums — sometimes, literally OUT of them — at a huge rate. And because home runs are awesome, that equation — home runs multiplied by amount, with added distance — makes for some fun memories and must-watch status. It turns batting practice into a game!

As we get set for this year’s edition, let’s look back at every winner of the event in the 21st century, which includes some sluggers who have won it multiple times.

Here’s the full list of the champions since 2000:

Let’s all watch Ken Griffey Jr. mash Home Run Derby dingers again

Let’s relive some Ken Griffey Jr. Home Run Derby moments.

One of the great joys of watching Major League Baseball a few decades ago was seeing Ken Griffey Jr. connect with a ball with one of the most beautiful swings of all time and hit it over the fence.

That was more than on display the three times the Seattle Mariners legend won the Home Run Derby — in 1993, 1998 and again in 1999. So with the derby coming to Seattle at T-Mobile Park — here’s the full lineup and who’s pitching to them — it’s a great time to remember Griffey obliterating baseballs in those derbies.

So, here you go: Have fun watching the all-time great in the Home Run Derby title-winning years:

 

Is Shohei Ohtani hitting in the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby?

Will Major League Baseball’s home-run leader participate in the 2023 Home Run Derby?

When you look at the lineup for Monday night’s 2023 MLB Home Run Derby, there are some big-time sluggers in the mix, like the Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and the Mets’ Pete Alonso.

However, perhaps the biggest name missing from the 2023 Home Run Derby list is Major League Baseball’s current home-run leader, Shohei Ohtani.

For the second straight year, the Los Angeles Angels’ superstar is skipping the Home Run Derby.

The 29-year-old two-way player with 32 home runs this season was selected to start the All-Star Game as a pitcher and designated hitter. But thanks to a recently developed blister, he won’t be pitching in the game, as the Arizona Republic noted.

Although Ohtani is expected to be around for All-Star Week festivities and could still have an at-bat, he was unsure about his Home Run Derby participation at the end of June. But now, it’s clear from the derby bracket that he will not be hitting.

Here’s a look at the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby bracket:

1. Luis Robert Jr. vs. 8. Adley Rutschman
2. Pete Alonso vs. 7. Julio Rodríguez
3. Mookie Betts vs. 6. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
4. Adolis García vs. 5. Randy Arozarena

MORE MLB ALL-STAR WEEK:

Home Run Derby bracket, participants: The full list of sluggers for 2023

Here’s the full list of participants and the bracket.

It’s almost time for the annual MLB All-Star festivity in which we get to watch baseballs get hit very long ways.

The 2023 Home Run Derby is set for Monday night at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, the home of the Mariners, and the lineup is a great one.

So let’s look at the power-hitting players who will be facing off on Monday — before Tuesday’s All-Star Game — with the seeds they have in the event’s bracket format: You’ve got a two-time winner, a hometown favorite and a few superstars who we know can send homers flying.

Here’s the full list, along with the complete bracket (and check out our list of who’s throwing to each of them)

Home Run Derby pitchers: Here who’s throwing to the All-Star sluggers in 2023

Here’s the full list of who’s throwing to each 2023 Home Run Derby slugger on Monday.

The field is set for the 2023 Home Run Derby in Seattle’s T-Mobile Park on Monday night, but it’s just as important to know who’s tossing them the baseballs they have to hit out.

That’s because we’ve seen how important it’s been to have consistency — hello, Pete Alonso’s pitcher — and when it’s a problem to have pitches go all over the place (see: Ronald Acuna Jr.’s pitcher last year).

So if you’re wondering who’s tossing to which star at the plate on Monday? You’ve come to the right place.

Here’s the full list of Home Run Derby pitchers as we get set for all the action:

Pete Alonso a Home Run Derby favorite heading into MLB All-Star Week

Former Gator and New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso will compete for a third Home Run Derby crown on Monday, and he enters All-Star Week as the betting favorite to come out on top.

The MLB All-Star Break is almost here and former Florida slugger Pete Alonso is the current favorite to win the 2023 Home Run Derby, according to FanDuel.

Alonso’s +300 odds narrowly edge out Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. +350, and the White Sox’s Luis Robert Jr. is the next closest at +400. The rest of the field is at +500 or worse odds, which means the money is on one of those three that come out on top. Alonso has -178 odds in the first round.

Of course, Alonso is a two-time winner at the derby, having won it as a rookie in 2019 and again after COVID in 2021. He fell in the semifinals against Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez a year ago, but FanDuel thinks Alonso will get some revenge in the opening-round rematch set for Monday.

As far as prop bets go, Alonso over Robert in the final is the favorite at +850, and the former Gator has the second-best odds (+340) to hit the longest home run of the night; Guerrero (+240) is the favorite. The over/under for total home runs is set at 274.5 (-113).

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Former Gator Pete Alonso competing in 2023 Home Run Derby

Gator Nation will be cheering on Pete Alonso once again this All-Star Break as the former Florida first baseman goes for a third crown at the Home Run Derby.

The quest for the three-Pete is back on!

Former Gator and current New York Met [autotag]Pete Alonso[/autotag] is set to compete in yet another Home Run Derby and is seeking a third crown at the event. Alonso won the 2019 and 2021 derbies, beating Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Trey Mancini, respectively.

He won both final rounds with a score of 23-22, but Julio Rodriguez’s 31 homers in the 2022 semifinals knocked Alonso out. The event was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alonso already holds the record for most home runs all-time in the event with 174 big flies. He will rematch Rodriguez (Mariners) in the opening round and face the winner of Mookie Betts (Dodgers) and Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays) if he advances.

On the other side of the bracket are Randy Arozarena (Rays), Adolis Garcia (Rangers), Luis Robert Jr. (White Sox), and Adley Rutschman (Orioles).

The event will air on ESPN exclusively Monday at 8 p.m. EDT, while ESPN will deliver a Statcast-focused alternate feed. ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App will all broadcast the derby as well.

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Fair or Foul: Should the Nationals have chartered Juan Soto a flight to the All Star Game?

Much ado about airfare

Juan Soto and the Washington Nationals are heading towards an inevitably ugly breakup.

The 23-year-old wunderkind slugger reportedly rejected the team’s 15-year, $440 million extension offer and it sure looks like the Nats are getting ready to trade him.

This comes after the team parted ways with star talents like Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner in recent years, but that’s not the issue here.

No, the latest sub-controversy bubbling up in Soto World comes down to airfare. Specifically, the Nationals’ decision to not charter a flight from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles to get their lone All-Star—and eventual Home Run Derby champ—to Southern California for the festivities.

So, should the Nats have ponied up for a private plane? Let’s take a quick spin around the FTW office and argue the merits at play here.

¡De risa! Ronald Acuna Jr., de los Braves, fue sorprendido por el fuego en el Home Run Derby

Ronald Acuna Jr. estaba que ardía antes de que empezara el 2022 Home Run Derby. ¡Literal! Este lunes, mientras estaba empezando la competencia en Los Angeles, los ocho competidores fueron presentados al público de una forma muy dramática. Por …

Ronald Acuna Jr. estaba que ardía antes de que empezara el 2022 Home Run Derby. ¡Literal!

Este lunes, mientras estaba empezando la competencia en Los Angeles, los ocho competidores fueron presentados al público de una forma muy dramática. Por supuesto, para ir acorde con un evento en el que habría tantos cañonazos, la pirotecnia durante las presentaciones fue de gran tamaño.

Mientras estaban de pie en el podio elevado esperando la última ronda de las presentaciones, Acuna sufrió el peor susto cuando, justo atrás de él, se encendió la pirotecnia. Y no solo eso, Acuna casi resulta quemado en el proceso, muy probablemente fueron sus reflejos tan rápidos los que lo salvaron de una visita al médico del estadio.

Traducción: El fuego puso a temblar a Ronald Acuna Jr.

 

Afortunadamente, Acuna salió ileso y no pasó del susto. No solo eso, ¡sino que el fuego también asustó a todos los participantes mientras terminaban las presentaciones!

Traducción: Alguien tenía que decirle a la persona encargada del fuego que se calmara un poco.

 

¡Y así reaccionaron los fans de la MLB al brinco del susto de Acuna!

Traducción: Me muero de risa, Acuña Jr. odiando la forma en la que sintió la pirotecnia en su espalda es de lo más gracioso.

 

Traducción: ¡Por favor no le prendan fuego a los cañoneros!

 

Traducción: Claramente nadie le advirtió a Ronald Acuna sobre el fuego.

 

Traducción: Diablos, ¡están tratando de quemar vivo a Acuna Jr.!

 

Traducción: Con toda razón, Acuña se asusta por los flamazos, más listo que la mayoría de los que están en el campo. Es por esto que no tiene oportunidad en el Derby.

 

Traducción: ¿Podemos proteger a Acuna a toda costa?…

 

Artículo traducido por Ana Lucía Toledo

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Ronald Acuña Jr.’s terrible Home Run Derby pitcher had MLB fans making plenty of jokes

He had some nasty cutters!

When it comes to the MLB Home Run Derby, the batting practice pitcher is arguably just as important as the hitter himself. If you have a pitcher like Dave Jauss who can consistently hit a preferred spot, it allows the batter to get a rhythm.  A good pitcher is so important.

And then there was Braves batting practice pitcher Tomas Perez who came in on the other end of the spectrum Monday night. Perez took the mound as the pitcher for Ronald Acuña Jr.’s Home Run Derby round, and it was stunning to watch how Perez approached the gig.

He was using both sides of the plate, hitting the corners, throwing some breaking balls — basically, Acuña had no chance to get any sort of rhythm at all.

You could see the Braves star grow frustrated as the round continued because Perez was all over the place. A hitter wants meatballs middle-middle or middle-in for the Home Run Derby. Perez was throwing cutters low and away.

It got to the point where MLB fans were joking about Perez providing bullpen help for teams out there.