Welcome to the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby live blog. I’ll be recapping all the action from this annual All-Star week spectacle, which is set to get underway Monday, July 15 at 8 p.m. from Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
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Home Run Derby Rules, Betting Odds, History
Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Jose Ramirez, Teoscar Hernandez, Adolis Garcia, Alec Bohm, Bobby Witt Jr., and Marcell Ozuna are set to compete in the Home Run Derby. There are new rules this year. The top four scores from the first round will advance to the second round. In the first two rounds, the hitters will have three minutes or 40 pitches. In the final round, the hitters will have two minutes or 27 pitches. I’ll be along for the ride to recap all the dingers starting at 8 p.m.
8:28 p.m.— Alec Bohm was first up and hit 21 home runs. It’s unclear how that score might hold up given the new format, but Bohm got in a nice groove in the second half of his round. With the lowest home run total during the season, Bohm had to go first and entered this competition as the underdog.
8:37 p.m.— Bobby Witt Jr. managed to hit 20 home runs. A Texas native, who hits home runs harder and farther than anyone in the competition, Witt Jr. was considered one of the favorites tonight. He needed to hit a few home runs in the bonus round to even get to 20. With six competitors remaining in round one, Witt Jr. might be in danger of a round one exit.
8:47 p.m.— Adolis Garcia hit 18 home runs in his round. This was a letdown for the hometown hero as he was shutout in the bonus round. Garcia appeared to be having a great round as his swing looked as smooth as ever, but putting up a goose egg in the bonus is likely to cost him as he finds himself in last place with five more hitters left.
9:57 p.m.— Teoscar Hernandez hit 19 home runs in his round. He had 13 in the first three minutes and added six more in the bonus round. The bonus round is similar to the original home run derby rules where the competitor gets an out only if they swing and it’s not a home run. Competitors get three outs and can earn an additional fourth out if they hit a home run that goes at least 425 feet. Hernandez hit the longest home run of the night so far at 466 feet, but finds himself in third place with four hitters left. Two-time Pete Alonso is up next so get your popcorn ready.
9:11 p.m.— Well, that was anticlimactic. Pete Alonso hits 12 home runs and is eliminated. I’m speechless. Alonso lives for the home run derby and was the favorite in this field, but never got going at the plate. Alec Bohm is now guaranteed to advance to the semifinals with three hitters left.
9:22 p.m.— That’s more like it. Jose Ramirez belts 21 home runs and guarantees that he’ll advance to the semifinals with Alec Bohm. Bobby Witt Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez are on the bubble and Adolis Garcia has been eliminated.
9:32 p.m.— Marcell Ozuna hit 16 home runs in his round. Not enough to advance to the semifinals. Witt Jr. is now guaranteed to advance with Teoscar Hernandez on the bubble. Gunnar Henderson is up next with his Scooby Doo bat as the first round comes to a close.
9:41 p.m.— Gunnar Henderson was one of the favorites for this competition, but he hit just 11 home runs in the first round and was eliminated. The Scooby Doo bat didn’t help at all. Teoscar Hernandez advances to the semifinals along with Alec Bohm, Jose Ramirez and Bobby Witt Jr.
9:54 p.m.— Bobby Witt Jr. hit 17 home runs in his semifinal round. He had a good round in the timed portion, but was shutout in the bonus round. Things just got interesting as Witt Jr. is going head-to-head with Jose Ramirez in this round.
10:02 p.m.— Witt Jr. certainly left the door open for Jose Ramirez by hitting 17 home runs, but Ramirez managed just 12 home runs. Ramirez seemed to get tired in the second half of his round and was also shutout in the bonus round. Coming up, we’ll have Teoscar Hernandez and Alec Bohm to see who’ll face Witt Jr. in the finals.
10:15 p.m.— Teoscar Hernandez hit 14 home runs in his semifinal round. We’ve seen lower scores so far in the second round. Alec Bohm is up next and since he went first in the first round it’s been almost two hours since he’s taken a swing. Let’s see if he can advance to the finals.
10:23 p.m.— Swing-off! Alec Bohm hit 14 home runs and will now have a swing-off with Teoscar Hernandez to see who advances to the finals. Bohm hit 14 home runs during the timed portion of his round and was shutout in the bonus round. The swing-off consists of three total swings with whoever hits the most home runs advancing.
10:26 p.m.— Teoscar Hernandez hit two home runs on three swings. He really put the pressure on Bohm here. Bohm now needs two home runs to tie and three to advance. Drama!
10:28 p.m.— Even more drama. Alec Bohm hit a home run on his second swing, needing one more on his last swing to tie, but he came up short. Teoscar Hernandez will advance and face Bobby Witt Jr. in the finals. Witt Jr. would seem to be a slight favorite, especially with the extra rest time he’s had.
10:44 p.m.— Teoscar Hernandez put on an impressive display in the finals. At one point he hit five home runs on six swings and hit some of the longest home runs of the night. The number to beat is 14 home runs for Bobby Witt Jr. He’s hit more than 14 in each of his previous rounds. It seems like it’s all set up for the hometown star to win his first home run derby.
10:54 pm.— Teoscar Hernandez is the 2024 Home Run Derby champion. Bobby Witt Jr. needed one home run to tie Hernadez and on his last swing in the bonus round the ball hung in the air for what felt like forever before bouncing off the wall. This wasn’t the greatest derby of all-time, but it certainly got interesting at the end with drama in the semifinal and final rounds. There were a lot of line drive hitters in the field this year, which likely made it easier for a home run hitter like Hernandez to get to the finals and ultimately win. Maybe next year we’ll get Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge to participate. Either way, another derby is in the books and Teoscar Hernandez is the champion.
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