Table of Content
- Home Run Derby 2013: Yoenis Cespedes wins it all
- Home Run Derby winners by year: Complete list of MLB players to win baseball's slugfest since 1985
- Home Run Derby 2013: Yoenis Cespedes wins it all
- How we can bring Heaven down this Christmas
- Home Run Derby Winner: Will Contest Hamper Swing of Yoenis Cespedes?
- The true essence of Christmas generosity
Since 1991, eight to ten players, were chosen to participate in a three round contest to determine the Home Run Derby Champion. Each player received ten outs per round as they attempted to hit as many home runs as they could. Entering the 2022 event, Pete Alonso was already in a small circle of players with multiple Home Run Derby wins.
The colossal distance he got on the majority of them was outstanding. Was the last NL player to win the Derby as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2009. Will be Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Colorado Rockies outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Michael Cuddyer. Competitors who will join Cano include Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis and Detroit Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder. Robinson Cano rounded out the AL squad by adding A's outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
Home Run Derby 2013: Yoenis Cespedes wins it all
Dawson went deep four times, accounting for half the home runs hit by the field of four. Griffey became the first player to hit the B&O Warehouse across Eutaw Street from Camden Yards, but Gonzalez won the Derby, defeating Griffey in a sudden-death swing-off. Martinez surprised by outlasting decorated sluggers such as Frank Thomas, McGwire, Griffey and Walker to become the first Yankees player to win the Derby.
Alonso edged out Guerrero in a thrilling final-round battle of rookie phenoms. Alonso not only won the Derby, but went on to hit a Major League-best 53 home runs in 2019. Those 53 homers were also the most by any rookie in big league history, eclipsing the mark previously set by Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. Though Alonso raised the trophy, the highlight of the event may have come in the semifinals, when it took Guerrero three rounds of swing-offs to finally outlast Joc Pederson, 40-39.
Home Run Derby winners by year: Complete list of MLB players to win baseball's slugfest since 1985
The real highlight of the first round was Yoenis Cespedes though. As ESPN Stats & Info pointed out, he entered the derby with the longest average distance per home run this season. Harper was consistent throughout the night hitting eight home runs in each round. However, it wasn't enough to keep the hard-hitting Cespedes from claiming the title.
Alonso has already done that, but the rest of this year's field is filled with players looking to win for the first time. Cespedes' 17 first round home runs were enough to advance him to the second round, but he decided to go to the plate anyway, needing just five home runs to give the American League the team victory. He accomplished that by hitting six and setting up the final duel with Harper.
Home Run Derby 2013: Yoenis Cespedes wins it all
Stanton peppered Petco Park with baseballs en route to a Derby-record 61 homers. He logged the 10 longest home runs of the night, as well as the 20 hardest-hit blasts, topping out at 120.4 mph, per Statcast™. Harper, who hit 16 homers in the first two rounds, led off the final round.
Anderson later became the second player to win the Derby and be named Most Valuable Player of the All-Star Game. While Morneau took home the night's top prize, Hamilton stole the show by belting a first-round record 28 home runs, including a run of 13 on consecutive swings. Harper, who has 13 home runs on the season, will compete in his first Home Run Derby and will become the second-youngest player ever to participate in the Derby behind Ken Griffey, Jr. . The two-time All-Star, who will also become the third-youngest player to start a Midsummer Classic, will become the first player in Nationals history to compete in the event.
How we can bring Heaven down this Christmas
By the end, it was all about the two young superstars in Soto and Rodríguez. The two put on a show all night, but Soto walked it off in the final round with 19 home runs. He became the second-youngest winner in Derby history at 23 years, 266 days old -- just one day older than Juan González was when he won it in 1993.
Guerrero took home his first Derby victory by hitting 17 homers and defeating the Blue Jays' Rios in the final. Despite fans packing into McCovey Cove outside the Giants' home ballpark in kayaks and rafts, none of the participants hit a "splash hit." This year's Chevrolet Home Run Derby will continue to follow the format first introduced in 2011, featuring team competition between the A.L. By a final tally of 61-21, with Prince Fielder of the Tigers winning the individual title in Kansas City. Each of the captains will select a charity of their choice for which their team will be hitting during the Derby. Chris Davis would wind up joining Cuddyer on the list of players that didn't make the final.
Numbers Never Lietweeted out, the duo also entered the contest with the fewest career home runs among all the contestants. In the post game interview, the champion spoke in Spanish about how it was truly an honor to be part of the competition, and was grateful his family was able to watch him at the field. McGwire, who would eventually set a new single-season home run record with 70 in 1998, won his first and only Derby in '92. Thomas launched a 519-foot homer that reached the upper deck in center field, and Griffey won his first of three Derby crowns in the 1994 contest.
A player may also have a history of being a better first-half hitter than a second-half hitter. As Bleacher Report MLB lead writer Jason Catania noted on Monday, a wealth of players have experienced drop-offs after participating in the derby the past five years. Whether participating in the Home Run Derby affects a player's swing has long been debated. David Wright would complete the disappointing night for New Yorkers as he hit just five home runs to join Fielder, Cano and Alvarez as the bottom four to be eliminated. He went upper deck on his second home run and consistently set the ball in flight. According to ESPN Stats & Info, it was the third most home runs ever hit in the first round.
Strawberry and Joyner led the way with four jacks each, and the NL won, 8-7, thanks to Parker's runner-up three homers. Griffey won his second consecutive Derby crown and third overall. McGwire impressed, clubbing 13 home runs in the first round and tying Griffey with 16 total, but was eliminated in the second round by Burnitz. Cespedes captured his first Derby crown in his second Major League season since defecting from Cuba.
In fact, this has happened to 32 of the 40 contestants in the past five years. Bryce Harper would emerge as a worthy adversary to Cespedes in the second round. He launched five home runs in a row at one point according to Mark Zuckerman of CSN. As Stark pointed out, he never went more than three pitches without hitting a home run. The 2013 Home Run Derby was filled with all the flair and fanfare that was expected, but the only thing not expected was the way the players performed, as there were a number of big surprises.
Ripken won the Derby in the midst of his AL MVP Award-winning campaign. He was the first player to win the Derby and the All-Star MVP, as well as the first Derby winner to also homer in the All-Star Game. Abreu never hit more than 31 home runs in a season, but he topped that in one night, establishing new records with 41 total homers and a 24-homer first round for his native Venezuela. The eight players represented their home countries in 2005 as part of a promotion for the inaugural World Baseball Classic.
With his victory at Coors Field last year, he became the fourth player in MLB history to win multiple titles. The final round showcased the will and power of Cuban defect Cespedes against the brash and confident Harper. The two did not let anyone down, putting on quite a show before Cespedes bested Harper's eight home runs with a walk off win, hitting his ninth home run with five outs still to go. Céspedes hit 32 total home runs and won the competition by defeating Harper in the final round.
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