Home Run Derby (Major League Baseball)
This article is about the Major League Baseball contest. For the 1960 television show, see Home Run Derby (TV series).
| Home Run Derby | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Annual |
| Location(s) | Varies (see prose) |
| Inaugurated | 1985 |
| Most recent | July 14, 2014 (Target Field,Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States) |
| Previous event | July 15, 2013 (Citi Field, Flushing Meadows, New York, United States) |
| Next event | July 13, 2015 (Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States) |
| Participants | American League and National League baseball players |
| Organized by | Major League Baseball |
The Home Run Derby is an event customarily held the day before the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseballto determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by Gillette
History[edit]
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.
In 2011, the format was revised so that team captains selected the individual sides. Leading the American League was David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox, while Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers led the National League. In 2012, the New York Yankees' Robinson Canó captained the AL side, while Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers captained the NL participants. In 2013, David Wright of the host New York Mets served as National League captain while Robinson Cano of the Yankees was chosen for the American League. The 2014 team captains are two-time Major League Baseball home run champion Toronto Blue Jays outfielder José Bautista for the American League and Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki for the National League. With these rules, it is possible for a captain to intentionally pick the competition that he thinks will give him the best chance to win the derby, meaning people who have hit no home runs or a small number of home runs all season and are not considered power hitters. [4]
The 2014 competition was won by Yoenis Cespedes at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 2015 Derby is planned for Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.
As of 2014 only one participant, Yoenis Cespedes, has won the Home Run Derby without being selected to the All-Star game itself.[5]
Overview[edit]
Rules[edit]
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 gets 7 "outs" per round, although before 2000 they would only get 5 outs in the final round; from 2000-2013, 10. 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, there will be a three swing swing-off to determine who will advance, and if still tied 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 players batting coach.
However, in 2014, the format will be changed to more of a bracket system. Five players from each league will bat in the opening round, with seven outs instead of the previous 10. The player who hits the most homers in each league will automatically receive a bye to the third round (semifinals). The next two players from each league with the most homers will square off against one another in a head-to-head matchup in the second round. The winners of these matchups will advance to the third round to compete against the league's top seed. The final round will feature the winners of the American and National League semifinals going head-to-head to determine the winner of the event. The batting order will be determined by a coin flip, which will be held at a meeting at home plate between the two finalists and their league captains.[6] Any ties in any round will be broken by a 3-swing swing-off, and if still tied sudden-death swings until one player homers. Under this system, it is possible for a hitter to get eliminated from the contest just because their competition in a 1 on 1 matchup was harder than the hitter from the other side who won because their competition was easier. For example, when the derby reaches 4 people total, or 2 from each league, the 2 hitters with the highest home run totals in the round could come from the same league, but only 1 would advance under this system, while the better of the 2 hitters from the other league would get to advance, despite having less home runs in that round than the hitter who lost the stronger matchup. This happened in the 2014 derby, when Todd Frazier hit only 1 home run in the NL Final, but still got to advance, 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 2 people with the most home runs automatically getting to go. The reason why this change was made and what the problem was with the 2006-2013 system are unclear.
Gold Balls[edit]
From 2005-2013, a gold ball has been used once a player reaches nine outs (since 2014 when the Flex Ball came into play, six). If a batter hit a home run using the golden ball, Century 21 Real Estate and Major League Baseballwould 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.
Television and radio coverage[edit]
The derby was first nationally televised by ESPN in 1993 on a same-day delayed basis,[7] 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. Starting in 2009, three hours were devoted to the event.
The 2008 Derby was the year's most highly rated basic cable program.[8]
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.[9]
ESPN Radio also carries the event annually.[1
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العنوان : Home Run Derby (Major League Baseball)الوصف : Home Run Derby (Major League Baseball) This article is about the Major League Baseball contest. For the 1960 television show, see Home Run ...
تقييم الموضوع : 4.5
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