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That record didn't last long, as the following season, Bobby Abreu hit 24 first-round home runs at Comerica Park in Detroit. Abreu finished the event with 41 total home runs, an event record that still stands. The multiround format that is currently in place was instituted in 1995, when the event shifted from a team-based to an individual competition. The field remained split evenly between AL and NL players, though there have been exceptions to that -- most notably in 2005, when the field was set with eight players representing eight different countries. In 1991, the number of outs was expanded to 10, but the team competition format remained.
With the score 31-29, the two local players stepped up to the plate. There was Dawson, who had already won the first game for the Red Sox with a walk-off home run. He added 10 points, but gave away three on catch points -- including an unbelievable diving snag from Piancastelli. Though Adrián González gave it a good go -- hitting 10 of his own home runs -- it was already too little too late. Softball superstar Erika Piancastelli picked up 13 points, with some of the absolute loudest blasts of the day coming from her bat. She did get a little pick-me-up from Swisher during her timeout, too.
Home Run Derby (TV series)
In 2006, the selection of four players from each league resumed. In 2011, the format was revised so that team captains selected the individual sides. The event has grown significantly from its roots in the 1980s, when it was not televised. Prior to 1991, the Home Run Derby was structured as a two-inning event with each player receiving five outs per inning, allowing for the possibility of ties. Howard dropped six balls into the Allegheny River -- four on the fly, two on the bounce -- en route to a Derby victory. This year's competition shook up the rule book with players posting the highest totals across Rounds 1 and 2 advancing to the finals, rather than resetting the tally each round like in previous years.
And yet, that disappointment had remained the Twins’ brightest moment in the baseball spotlight as they plodded through their 25th season since bolting the Beltway. The derby was first nationally televised by ESPN in 1993 on a same-day delayed basis, with the first live telecast in 1998. Although two hours are scheduled in programming listings for the telecast, it has rarely ever been contained to the timeslot and consistently runs three to four hours. Chris Berman has gained notoriety for his annual hosting duties on ESPN, including his catchphrase, "Back back back...Gone!". Berman starts this phrase when the ball is hit, and does not say "Gone!" until the ball lands. From 1991 to 2006, 8-10 players were selected and hit as many home runs as possible before reaching 10 outs in each round.
History
This ball that made him a fleeting hero among Minnesotans still carries the red All-Star Game logo, though his son, Nathan, found it a few years back and now it’s dirty with grass stains and more than a little smudged. He’ll watch and remember what it was like to spend his final day of high school baseball roaming the Metrodome center field as if it were his own. From 2005 to 2013, a gold ball has been used once a player reaches nine outs (in 2014 when the T-Mobile Ball came into play, six; since 2015, during the final minute). If a batter hit a home run using the golden ball, Century 21 Real Estate and Major League Baseball would donate $21,000 (a reference to the "21" in "Century 21") per home run to charity . In both 2005 and 2006, $294,000 was raised for the charities, equaling fourteen golden ball home runs per year.
Tejada slugged a then-record 27 homers, which would hold for just one season before Abreu shattered his mark. 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." Stanton peppered Petco Park with baseballs en route to a Derby-record 61 homers.
– Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
Throwing Bruno’s pitches was Twins coach and future two-time World Series-winning manager Tom Kelly, known to everyone as TK. Brunansky didn’t have to tell Kelly where he liked his pitches , so he was more concerned about what was behind him than in front. Not only did the Derby add the element of a catcher, but Kelly’s battery-mate on this day was Mike Casey, son of legendary Twins radio announcer Bob Casey.
Ryan Garvey looked in vain at the nearby umpire, who could only laugh. Brunansky's Derby-winning blast gave Minneapolis fans plenty to cheer about in a contest they had never seen before. Of course, as the “home” team, the American League batted last in the Derby, and MLB slated Brunansky as the final hitter in the order. So after Sandberg’s long fly ball made Moe insta-famous and with the American League facing down a two-dinger deficit, Bruno knew what he had to do. Prieb wasn’t entirely pleased to see Moe show up one of the game’s most popular players.
Ortiz defeated his former and future Boston teammate Ramirez in the 2010 Derby, dedicating the victory to the late Dominican Republic native Jose Lima, a former Major League pitcher who passed away earlier that season. Cano closely outhit Gonzalez, who was representing the rival Red Sox, with a victory in the final round at Chase Field. There would be no three-peat for Pete Alonso, who was taken out in the semifinals by Rodriguez, who was red hot until the final round.
For Garvey, the ’85 Derby was a satisfying bookend to a remarkable career, especially where All-Star Games were concerned. His first selection came in 1974, even though his name was absent from voting ballots. Garvey became just the second write-in candidate ever elected to start an All-Star Game and then won the MVP award, both for that game and, later, for the National League that year. Entering 1985, Garvey had played in nine All-Star Games, and the National League had won each and every time.
After cranking two early home runs, he quickly called for his hot streak. With one final swing, he lifted the ball over the wall and gave the Yankees the victory. As the Derby wound down, the two leagues slugging back and forth, Sandberg stepped in as the National League’s final contestant, looking to extend his team’s slim lead. He cranked a long fly ball to left center field, and that’s when the first Home Run Derby produced its first unforgettable moment. The show was produced, co-created, and hosted by Mark Scott, a middling actor, play-by-play announcer for the minor league Hollywood Stars and sports director of radio station KFWB.
Recorded only seven of ten outs before hitting winning home run. Because of the game's TV popularity, invited players have felt pressure to participate. Notably, Ken Griffey Jr. initially quietly declined to take part in 1998, partly due to ESPN scheduling the Mariners in their late Sunday game the night before.
Major League Baseball added Home Run Derby to the schedule of All-Star events in 1985 at the Metrodome. The event was set up as a competition between the two leagues, with players getting five outs per inning in a two-inning event. The format of the event allowed for ties among individual players for the championship. In 1988, the Home Run Derby was rained out, the only time since the event was created that it did not take place. The field size fluctuated in the early days of the event, starting with five players per league, dropping to three in 1986 and two in 1987 before increasing to four in 1989. The field was 10 total players from 1996 to 1999, and has been set at eight ever since 2000.
The Round 2 winner from each league faced the Round 1 winner, and the Round 3 winner crowned the league winner. Each round stands alone, with the score reset for each round. If the players remain tied, the players engage in a sudden-death swing-off until one player homers. The winner received a check for $2,000 and was invited back for the next week's episode against a new opponent ; the runner-up received a check for $1,000. If a batter hit three home runs in a row, he would receive a $500 bonus check.
The 2013 Home Run Derby was won by Yoenis Cespedes of the Oakland A's. Cespedes hit 32 total home runs, including nine in the final round. For the word puzzle clue of hosted the first home run derby at the all star game, the Sporcle Puzzle Library found the following results.
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