The Home Run Derby is one of baseball’s most fun exhibitions that All-Star crowds go wild for. It’s a show, after all. The results don’t have any impact on regular-season records, but winners get bragging rights and the chance to display their power potential.
Here are some of the most fun and exciting home run derbies:
Mark McGwire, 1999
McGwire blasted 13 home runs in the first round, which was a major league record at the time. He also nearly broke a light tower for good measure! Having hit 70 home runs in 1998, on his way to 65 in 1999, this was a slugger in the prime of his power-hitting career.
David Ortiz, 2010:
When Ortiz played in Anaheim, California, he put on an outstanding show thanks to his enormous power and incredible swing. Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins was defeated by Ortiz’s clean swing, which resulted in 11 home runs in the final round and a total of 32 throughout the contest. Ortiz’s home runs covered a total distance of 12,975 feet!
Robinson Cano, 2011:
Cano blasted several monster home runs during the event and barely broke a sweat. Cano hit a total of 32 home runs in the contest, which matched him for third-most in the history of the game.
The Home Run Derby is fun as the stakes are low enough that anyone participating can relax and enjoy themselves while maintaining a sense of competitive showmanship.