The 2019 Major League Baseball
Home Run Derby was a
home run hitting contest between eight batters from
Major League Baseball (MLB). The derby was held on July 8, 2019, at
Progressive Field
{{Infobox stadium
, name = Progressive Field
, nickname = ''"The Jake"''
, logo_image = Progressive_Field_Logo.svg
, logo_caption =
, image =
, caption = Progressive Fiel ...
in
Cleveland, OH, the site of the
2019 MLB All-Star Game
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
. In an effort to lure more big name players to the Derby compared to previous seasons,
MLB increased the winner's prize to $1 million with the total pool money being increased to $2.5 million, up from $525,000 in 2018.
The longest home run, amongst the total 312 hit by the 8 players involved, covered a distance of , and was hit by the runner-up of the contest, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
This was the first derby since the format change in 2015 to feature tie-breaking rounds, as
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and
Joc Pederson went to a record three swing-offs in the second round. Additionally, Guerrero Jr. surpassed the previous first and second round records for home runs hit by
Josh Hamilton in 2008 and
Kyle Schwarber in 2018 respectively. Winner
Pete Alonso of the
New York Mets hit 23 home runs in the final round, also breaking the final round total set by
Giancarlo Stanton in 2016. The total tally of 312 home runs is the most in the history of the event.
Rules
Eight players participate in the derby in a bracket-style, single-elimination timed event. Each player has four minutes to hit as many home runs as possible. Hitters are awarded an additional 30 seconds if they hit two home runs over . Hitters are also allowed one 45 second timeout to stop the clock (two in the finals).
The eight competing players are seeded 1-8 based on their home run totals. While the lower seed hits first, the higher seed hits second in all rounds. The round ends if the higher seed exceeds the total of the first hitter. In the event of a tie, two sets of tiebreakers are employed: first, a 1-minute swing-off (with no timeouts nor bonus time awarded); thereafter, multiple three-swing sets will occur until the tie is broken.
Bracket
By June 30, 2019,
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,
Cleveland Indians first baseman
Carlos Santana
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
,
New York Mets first baseman
Pete Alonso,
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
first baseman
Josh Bell,
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
outfielder
Christian Yelich, and
Atlanta Braves outfielder
Ronald Acuña Jr.
Ronald José Acuña Blanco Jr. (born December 18, 1997) is a Venezuelan professional baseball outfielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). After signing with the Braves as an international free agent in 2014, Acuña made his ...
had agreed to participate in the derby. However, on July 7, 2019, Yelich was forced to withdraw from the derby due to a back injury. As a result,
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...
third baseman
Matt Chapman was selected by the league to replace Yelich. Guerrero set a new single-round record with 29 home runs in the first round, and he and
Joc Pederson matched the feat in round two. Both Guerrero and Pederson tied with eight home runs in a tiebreaker, matched with one home run in a three-swing swing-off, before Guerrero prevailed in a second swing-off by a score of 2–1.
* Round went into two swing-offs after Guerrero Jr. and Pederson were tied 29–29 after regulation and 37–37 after first tiebreaker.
References
{{Home Run Derby champions
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, 2019
Baseball in Cleveland
Major League Baseball Home Run Derby
American sports television specials
2010s in Cleveland
Sports competitions in Cleveland