That afternoon at Comerica Park, Bobby Abreu was representing Venezuela in the Home Run Derby. One after another, they kept coming out. Everyone was excited. “This is great!”, said one fan as he caught one of those balls
The home run is the greatest epic of this sport, it is the supreme art, the culmination. Hitting is the most difficult thing in any sport, hitting it out of the park is to defy the impossible
That’s why the Home Run Derby leaves unforgettable memories. There’s nothing like seeing the ball leave the park and the runner touching all four bases
Who is the slugger with the most Home Run Derby crowns?
It is said outright: The Kid, Ken Griffey Jr. is the absolute king, with three crowns (1994, 1998 and 1999). Not only that, he also holds the record for appearances: eight in total.
In 2024, the winner was Dominican Teoscar Hernandez, after a close battle last year against Bobby Witt Jr. Who will be the monarch this year? That will be known at the end of Monday night
And who is the one who has hit the most home runs in an event? The Dominican and Cooperstown immortal Vladimir Guerrero, with 91 balls thrown out of the park
Who has the most home runs in a single Derby?
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit the fence 91 times in 2019, a mark that seems straight out of a video game. He is followed by Julio Rodriguez (81 in 2022) and Pete Alonso (74 in 2021). This will no longer be possible due to the new format. Before it was three minutes and go, until you made 10 outs
We won’t be able to see Josh Hamilton hitting it into the railroads, literally, behind Yankee Stadium, or Sammy Sosa shaking the roof of Miller Park with those anthology bombs
Complete list of Home Run Derby champions
- 2024: Teoscar Hernandez
- 2023: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
- 2022: Juan Soto
- 2021: Pete Alonso
- 2019: Pete Alonso
- 2018: Bryce Harper
- 2017: Aaron Judge
- 2016: Giancarlo Stanton
- 2015: Todd Frazier
- 2014-2013: Yoenis Cespedes
- 2012-2009: Prince Fielder, Robinson Cano, David Ortiz, Prince Fielder
- 2008-2005: Justin Morneau, Vladimir Guerrero, Ryan Howard, Bobby Abreu
- 2004-2001: Miguel Tejada, Garret Anderson, Jason Giambi, Luis Gonzalez
- 2000-1997: Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr. (x2), Tino Martinez
- 1996-1993: Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey Jr., Juan Gonzalez
- 1992-1985: Mark McGwire, Cal Ripken Jr., Ryne Sandberg, Ruben Sierra, Andre Dawson, Dave Parker (among others).
The Home Run Derby is an exhibition that never tires. It is the realization of the most difficult sporting epic in the world. That’s why when someone wins a Derby, even if it doesn’t count for anything in the season, they always carry it with pride
This event is more than a competition, it is a tribute to the power and charisma of the great hitters. Every year, history is rewritten with new protagonists and new records. On that day, the winner shows the world that gravity does not exist and that friction is a simple mockery that can be overcome with the precise blow of a bat to a ball.
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