Welcome to the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby live blog, where we’ll be reviewing all the action from this annual All-Star Week spectacle, which kicks off on Monday, July 15th at 8pm from Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
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Home Run Derby Rules, Betting Odds, History
Who will compete in the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby?
Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Jose Ramirez, Teoscar Hernandez, Adoris Garcia, Alec Bohm, Bobby Witt Jr. and Marcell Ozuna will compete in the Home Run Derby. There are new rules this year. The top four scorers from the first round advance to the second round. In the first two rounds, hitters will pitch for three minutes or 40 pitches. In the final round, hitters will pitch for two minutes or 27 pitches. I’ll be along to recap all the home runs starting at 8 p.m.
8:28 p.m. — Alec Bohm was up first with 21 home runs. It’s unclear how long that score will hold up given the new format, but Bohm was on a roll late in the rounds. With his fewest home runs of the season, Bohm was at a disadvantage in this competition, having to get on base first.
8:37 p.m. — Bobby Witt Jr. hits his 20th home run. A native of Texas who hits home runs harder and farther than any of the competitors, Witt Jr. was considered one of the favorites to win tonight. To reach 20 home runs, he needed to hit a few more home runs in the bonus round. With six competitors remaining in the first round, Witt Jr. is in danger of being eliminated in the first round.
8:47pm — Adoris Garcia hit 18 home runs in this round. Unfortunately for the hometown hero, he was shut out in the bonus round. Garcia looked to be having a great round with his swing as smooth as ever, but not hitting a single in the bonus round puts him in last place among the five remaining batters, which will likely hurt him.
9:57 p.m. — Teoscar Hernandez has hit 19 home runs this round, 13 in the first three minutes and six more in the bonus round. The bonus round is similar to the original Home Run Derby rules, where you don’t get out unless you swing and hit a home run. A contestant gets three outs and can get a fourth out if he hits a home run of 425 feet or more. Hernandez hit the longest home run of the night at 466 feet, but is in third place with four batters remaining. Up next is two-time Pete Alonso. Get the popcorn ready.
9:11 p.m. — What a disappointment. Pete Alonso hits 12 home runs and is eliminated. I’m speechless. Alonso lives for the Home Run Derby and was the favorite on the field, but he just didn’t perform at the plate. With three batters left, Alec Bohm is guaranteed a place in the semifinals.
9:22 p.m. — That’s right. Jose Ramirez hits 21 home runs and has secured a place in the semifinals along with Alec Bohm. Bobby Witt Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez are in doubt, and Adoris Garcia is eliminated.
9:32pm — Marcell Ozuna hits 16 home runs this round. Not enough to advance to the semifinals. Whitt Jr. is now a lock for the semifinals, while Teoscar Hernandez is in doubt. As the first round draws to a close, Gunnar Henderson takes the field with his Scooby-Doo bat.
9:41pm — Gunnar Henderson was one of the favorites to win the tournament, but he was eliminated in the first round after hitting only 11 home runs. Scooby-Doo’s bat was no help at all. Teoscar Hernandez made it to the semifinals along with Alec Bohm, Jose Ramirez and Bobby Witt Jr.
9:54pm — Bobby Witt Jr. hits 17 home runs in the semifinals. He plays well in the timed rounds but is shut out in the bonus round. Things are getting more interesting in this round, when Witt Jr. goes head-to-head with Jose Ramirez.
10:02 PM — Witt Jr. hit 17 home runs, giving Jose Ramirez a chance, but Ramirez only managed 12. Ramirez seemed to tire in the second half and was shutout-lost in the bonus round. Next up to face Witt Jr. in the finals are Teoscar Hernandez and Alec Bohm.
10:15pm — Teoscar Hernandez hits 14 home runs in the semifinals. The low scores so far in the second round continue. Up next is Alec Bohm. He’s been swinging for almost two hours since his first bat in the first round. Let’s see if he can make it to the finals.
10:23 PM — Swing Off! Alec Bohm hits 14 home runs and plays a swing-off with Teoscar Hernandez to determine the finalists. Bohm hits 14 home runs in the time limit and loses by shutout in the bonus round. The swing-off consists of a total of three swings, and the player with the most home runs advances to the finals.
10:26 PM — Teoscar Hernandez hits two home runs in three swings. He puts a lot of pressure on Bohm here. Bohm needs two home runs to tie the game and three to advance. Dramatic!
10:28 p.m. — More drama: Alec Bohm homers on his second swing and needs another on his final swing to tie the game, but falls short. Teoscar Hernandez advances to face Bobby Witt Jr. in the finals, who looks to have the slight advantage, especially with the extended break.
10:44pm — Teoscar Hernandez had a great performance in the finals, at one point hitting five home runs in six swings and some of the longest home runs of the night. Bobby Witt Jr. has 14 home runs to beat. He has hit 14 or more in each of the previous rounds. The local star looks primed to win his first Home Run Derby.
10:54 p.m. Teoscar Hernandez is the 2024 Home Run Derby champion. Bobby Witt Jr. needed one home run to tie Hernandez, but on his final swing of the bonus round, the ball floated in the air for what seemed like forever before bouncing off the wall. It wasn’t the best Derby ever, but the drama of the semi-final and final rounds certainly made it more entertaining at the end. With so many liner hitters this year, it would have been easy for a home run hitter like Hernandez to make it to the finals and ultimately win. Maybe next year Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge will join us. Either way, another Derby is over and Teoscar Hernandez is the champion.
