The MLB All-Star break has begun, and with it comes the excitement of the T-Mobile Home Run Derby. This year’s event will start at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, July 15, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Although Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Juan Soto have chosen not to participate, the lineup still boasts plenty of power hitters.
Here are the participants for this year’s Home Run Derby:
- Pete Alonso, New York Mets
- Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies
- Adolis García, Texas Rangers
- Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles
- Teoscar Hernández, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves
- José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians
- Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals
According to MLB.com, the rules of the Home Run Derby are straightforward. While the event remains familiar to fans, there are a few notable changes designed to enhance the viewing experience.
- This year, the competition will start differently, with all eight hitters competing against each other instead of a bracket-style tournament. The top four scorers will advance to the semi-finals, where the traditional knockout-style tournament will begin. The highest scorer from the first round will be the No. 1 seed, and so on.
- In the event of a tie between two competitors in the first round, advancement to the second round or seeding will be determined by the longest home run hit in the opening round. For the first time, there will be a cap on the number of pitches thrown to each competitor per round. The first round and semi-finals will conclude after either three minutes or 40 pitches, with one timeout allowed. The finals will consist of either two minutes or 27 pitches, with one timeout permitted.
- At the conclusion of all rounds, competitors will be granted three bonus outs, instead of the 30 seconds given in previous years. If a competitor hits a home run of 425 feet or more, they will receive a fourth bonus out. In the semi-finals and finals, any tiebreakers will be determined with a 60-second swing-off. If ties persist, they will be settled with three-swing “swing-offs”.