Tag: Home Run Derby

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.

Sports bettors went wild for Albert Pujols after his improbably upset of Kyle Schwarber at the Home Run Derby

Another incredible moment for the Future Hall of Famer

Midway through his first round matchup against Kyle Schwarber during Monday’s Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium, a field full of Major League All-Stars began crowding around 42-year-old Albert Pujols during a time out.

Pujols was reeling, or so it looked, with one home run in the first 56 seconds of his at-bat. It sure seemed like MLB’s finest were getting ready to send off one of their own. Then the darnedest thing happened. Pujols start planting balls over the fence in the outfield. Again. And again. And before he knew it, he was in overtime with Schwarber, the No. 1 overall seed, tied at 13 dingers apiece.

A one-minute swing-off yielded seven more homers as Pujols sent Schwarber home shockingly early.

Albert was a +260 underdog. Schwarber was a -400 favorite. Baseball fans called the matchup a bye for the Phillies slugger.

Oops.

Bettors couldn’t believe it.

 

Pujols lost in the second round to Juan Soto (the eventual Derby champ at +470), but that won’t be remembered as much as his upset of Schwarber. What a moment for the future Hall of Famer.

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MLB All-Stars honor Albert Pujols’ final Home Run Derby with classy home plate celebration

What a way to honor a baseball legend!

At age 42, Albert Pujols is no spring chicken in baseball anymore.

During Monday’s 2022 Home Run Derby, Pujols continued his retirement tour alongside the St. Louis Cardinals with one last crack at the bat. In a thrilling first round, Pujols actually bested favorite Kyle Schwarber in a swing off to advance to the second round! Seriously!

After Pujols’ first go around, where he hit 10 home runs, the MLB All-Stars all jumped out of the dugouts and gave the baseball legend a wonderfully classy moment at home plate. The love and respect that all of baseball has for Pujols is absolutely incredible.

What a moment! Also, here’s how Pujols took down Schwarber in the final moments of an epic first round matchup.

Albert Pujols forever!

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Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. was hilariously caught unawares by the fire at the Home Run Derby

Ronald Acuna Jr. nearly got toasted before the 2022 Home Run Derby even began!

Ronald Acuna Jr. was nearly on fire before the 2022 Home Run Derby even began. Literally!

As Monday’s home run competition began in Los Angeles, the eight competitors were introduced to the crowd in dramatic fashion. And of course, befitting an event of big bombs, the pyrotechnics in the introductions were large and in charge.

While standing on the elevated stage awaiting the final round of introductions, Acuna got completely spooked by the fire going off right behind him. Not only that, Acuna nearly got singed in the process, with his quick reflexes likely the only thing saving him from a trip to the medical tent.

Thankfully, Acuna walked away with nothing but a scare. Not only that, all of the participants got spooked by the fire as the introductions came to an end too!

Here’s how MLB fans reacted to Acuna’s jump scare!

2022 MLB Home Run Derby, live stream, TV channel, time, odds and brackets, how to watch online

The Major League Baseball All-Star Week has arrived and will kick off on Monday night with the Home Run Derby live at Chavez Ravine.

The Major League Baseball All-Star Week has arrived and will kick off on Monday night with the Home Run Derby live from Dodger Stadium at Chavez Ravine. Can Pete Alonso make it three straight with another win, this time out on the West Coast, or will somebody else step up like Corey Seager since he played with the Dodgers from 2015-2021.

This will be one you won’t want to miss, here is everything you need to know to catch the Home Run Derby tonight.

2022 MLB Home Run Derby

  • When: Monday, July 18
  • Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN, ESPN Deportes
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

2022 Home Run Derby Lineup

  • Pete Alonso, Mets
  • Kyle Schwarber, Phillies
  • Juan Soto, Nationals
  • Ronald Acuña, Braves
  • Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
  • José Ramirez, Guardians
  • Albert Pujols, Cardinals
  • Corey Seager, Rangers

MLB Home Run Derby, First Round Matchups

No. 1 Kyle Schwarber(Phillies) vs.  No. 8 Albert Pujols (Cardinals)

No. 2 Pete Alonso (Mets) vs. No. 7 Ronald Acuña (Braves)

No. 3 Corey Seager (Rangers) vs. No. 6 Julio Rodriguez (Mariners)

No. 4 Juan Soto (Nationals) vs. No. 5 Jose Ramirez (Guardians)

MLB Odds and Betting Lines

MLB odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds were last updated Monday at 6:45 p.m. ET.

Pete Alonso (N.Y. Mets) +200

Kyle Schwarber (Philadelphia) +330

Ronald Acuna, Jr. (Atlanta) +600

Juan Soto (Washington) +600

Corey Seager (Texas) +900

Julio Rodriguez (Seattle) +1000

Jose Ramirez (Cleveland) +1600

Albert Pujols (St. Louis) +2200

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MLB’s brilliant new tiebreaker for the All-Star Game had baseball fans rooting for a tie

Oh, we NEED to see this happen.

When it comes to rule changes, MLB has made (and continues to make) plenty of mistakes over the years. But I guess even Rob Manfred can get something right once because the 2022 MLB All-Star Game will have the tiebreaker everyone needs to see happen.

The 2002 MLB All-Star Game ended in a tie when both teams ran out of players, and rather than have some contingency plan in place to determine a winner, then-commissioner Bud Selig ended the game. Then, in a huge over-correction, MLB had the All-Star Game determine homefield advantage for the World Series from 2003 to 2016.

If only they thought of this back then …

According to MLB Network’s Anthony Castrovince, the All-Star Game will go into a brief Home Run Derby to determine a winner if the game is tied after nine innings. The managers select three batters with each getting three swings. The team with the highest total after three rounds wins the All-Star Game. It’s so simple, yet so fun. It’s basically baseball’s version of a penalty shootout.

Since 1950, just 11 All-Star Games have gone into extra innings. It doesn’t happen often, but this rule change was enough to have MLB fans rooting for that nine-inning tie. Some wouldn’t mind seeing it in actual games too.