The Home Run Derby is an annual home run hitting contest in Major League Baseball (MLB) customarily held the day before the MLB All-Star Game. Since the inaugural derby in 1985, the event has seen several rule changes, evolving from a short outs-based competition, to multiple rounds, and eventually a bracket-style timed event. It is currently co-sponsored by Gillette and Head & Shoulders, both Procter & Gamble based products.
The event has grown significantly from its roots in the 1980s, when it was not televised. Prior to 1991, the Home Run Derby was structured as a two-inning event with each player receiving five outs per inning, allowing for the possibility of ties. It is now one of the most-watched events broadcast on ESPN.[1][2][3]
In 2000, a "match play"-style format was instituted for the second round. The player with the most home runs in the first round faced the player with the least among the four qualifying players, as did the players with the second- and third-most totals. The contestant who won each matchup advanced to the finals. This format was discontinued after the 2003 competition.
The field of players selected currently consists of four American League players and four National League players. The first Derby in 1985 featured five from each league, and the 1986 and 1987 events featured three and two players from each league, respectively. In 1996, the field was again expanded to ten players, five from each league (though in 1997, the AL had six contestants to the NL's four).
In 2000, the field reverted to the current four-player-per-league format. The only exception was 2005, when Major League Baseball changed the selection criteria with eight players representing their home countries rather than their respective leagues. The change was believed to be in promotion of the inaugural World Baseball Classic, played in March 2006.[citation needed] In 2006, the selection of four players from each league resumed.
Some of notable performances in the Derby include Bobby Abreu in 2005, who won the Derby with a record 41 homers, including a then-record 24 in the first round. The first-round record was broken in 2008 by Josh Hamilton, who hit 28 home runs. Though Hamilton's performance was notable for the length of his homers[citation needed], he ultimately lost to Justin Morneau in a brief final round.
Up to 2013, 8 players are selected for the Home Run Derby and compete in a traditional playoff system, in which the players with the most home runs advance to the next round. Each player receives 7 "outs" per round, although before 2000 they would only receive 5 outs in the final round; from 2000-2013, 10 outs. In this case, an out is defined as any swing that is not a home run. Should a tie exist between players at the end of any round, players receive five more swings; if still tied, a three-swing swing-off, and if still tied again sudden-death swings until one player homers. Until 2006, the home run count was reset after each round. However, a rule change was made for the 2006 Home Run Derby which causes the home run count for the four players advancing to the second round to carry over. The home run count for the final round is still reset to zero.
Each batter selects his own pitcher, who is presumably friendly to the hitter's efforts. Usually, this is the player's batting coach.
However, in 2014, the format was changed to a form of bracket system, in which five players from each league batted in the opening round, with seven outs instead of the previous ten. The player who hit the most homers in each league automatically received a bye to the third round (semifinals). The next two players from each league with the most homers squared off against one another in a head-to-head matchup in the second round, from which the winners advanced to the third round to compete against the league's top seed. The final round featured the winners of the American and National League semifinals going head-to-head to determine the winner of the event. The batting order was determined by a coin flip between the two finalists and their league captains at home plate.[6] Ties in any round are broken by a 3-swing swing-off. If the players remain tied, the players engage in a sudden-death swing-off until one player homers.
Under these rules, it was possible for hitters, who would previously have been finalists, to get eliminated from the contest in favor of worse performing batters from the opposite league. This happened in the 2014 derby, when Todd Frazier hit only 1 home run in the NL Final, but still advanced, while Jose Bautista hit 4 home runs in the AL Final, but was eliminated. This was the case because the top hitter from each league played for the championship, instead of the two hitters with the most home runs automatically advancing.[citation needed]
In 2015, the format was overhauled. A bracket system was implemented, with 8 hitters seeded based on their regular-season home runs totals entering the All-Star break. The players compete in single-elimination, head-to-head matchups, continuing through 3 rounds until there is a winner. With this system, outs were also eliminated in favor of timed rounds, affording players unlimited swings. Five-minute limits had originally been decided upon for each hitter's turn at bat, although weather concerns preceding the 2015 Home Run Derby resulted in MLB reducing it to four minutes. Players who hit at least two home runs measuring at least 420 feet are granted 30 seconds of bonus time. An additional 30 seconds of bonus time is granted if at least one home run measures 475 feet.[7] If a tie remains after time runs out on both players (including any bonus time earned), there will be a 90-second swing-off (without bonus time nor timeouts); if still tied, three swing-off rounds; thereafter, sudden-death swing-off rounds apply until one player homers.
From 2005–2013, a gold ball has been used once a player reaches nine outs (in 2014 when the Flex Ball came into play, six; since 2015, during the final minute). If a batter hit a home run using the golden ball, Century 21 Real Estate and Major League Baseball would donate $21,000 (a reference to the "21" in "Century 21") per home run to charity (MLB donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Century 21 donated to Easter Seals). In both 2005 and 2006, $294,000 was raised for the charities, equaling fourteen golden ball home runs per year. State Farm continued this in 2007 as they designated $17,000 per home run (one dollar for each of State Farm's agencies), to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. In the 2007 event, fifteen golden balls were hit for a donation of $255,000, and ten ($170,000) were hit in the 2008 event. For 2009, State Farm added $5,000 for all non-Gold Ball homers, and $517,000 was collected. For 2010, the non-Gold Ball homer was reduced to $3,000 per home run and a total of $453,000 was collected. Since 2014 any homer hit off a Flex Ball resulted in a $10,000 donation to charity by Gillette & MLB.
The derby was first nationally televised by ESPN in 1993 on a same-day delayed basis,[8] with the first live telecast in 1998. Although two hours were initially devoted to the telecast, it hasn't been uncommon for the program to run over schedule. The 2006 through 2008 events, for example, lasted nearly three hours. Since 2009, three hours are devoted to the event.
The 2008 Derby was the year's most highly rated basic cable program.[9]
Because of the game's TV popularity, invited players have felt pressure to participate. Notably, Ken Griffey, Jr. initially quietly declined to take part in 1998, partly due to ESPN scheduling the Mariners in their late Sunday game the night before. After a discussion with ESPN's Joe Morgan and another with Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, Griffey changed his mind, and then won the Derby at Coors Field.[10]
In Spanish the event is televised on Spanish language network ESPN Deportes.[11]
