Home Run Derby
From BR Bullpen
Note: This page links to the Home Run Derby on All-Star Monday. For the television program that aired from 1959 to 1961 click here.
The Major League Baseball All-Star Home Run Derby has taken on many forms since its beginning in 1985. It is an afternoon to evening event on the Monday before the All-Star Game. It has been televised nationally since 1990 on ESPN.
Contents |
[edit] Format
When the Derby first began in 1985 each player received two turns at bat with five outs per turn at bat. Any swing that was not a home run was an out. This format allowed for the possiblity of ties. The derby started out as a contest between the two leagues, with each league having an equal number of players. At the first derby there were ten players (five per league), by the second the number was down to six (three per league) and the third only featured four sluggers.
The 1988 derby at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, OH was cancelled due to rain. From 1989 to 1994, there were eight players invited, four from each league.
The format changed in 1991 to three rounds rather than two innings. Each player would receive ten outs per round. The top four players with the most home runs in the first round would move on to the second round. The top two hitters in the second round would bat for the championship. From 1995 to 1999 there were ten competitors at the derby.
The format of the derby was changed in 2003 when after the first round the four advancing players were put into two seeded brackets, with the winners of each matchup advancing to the finals. This format was only used in this year.
In 2005, as part of the annoucement of the inaguaral World Baseball Classic, the derby featured eight players representing their native countries rather than their respective leagues. The nations represented were Canada, Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Korea, United States, and Venezuela. Andruw Jones represented the Netherlands having been born on Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles.
The rules changed once again in 2006, when total home runs replaced round by round totals. The top four hitters in the first round would advance to the semifinals, and their home run total from the first round would carry into the semifinals. The two players with the most home runs in the semifinals (which includes the player's first round clouts) would advance to the finals. At this point the home run totals would be cleared.
[edit] Golden Ball
At both the 2005 and 2006 derbies, Century 21 - a real estate company - sponsored a charity tie-in with the event. The Golden Ball was used once a player reaches nine outs, thus having only one out remaining. For each home run hit with a golden ball the company and If the batter hit a home run using the golden ball, Century 21 and Major League Baseball would donate $21,000 to charity. In both derbies, fourteen homers were hit raising $294,000 in each year.
[edit] Derby Records
- Most wins: 3; Ken Griffey, Jr. (1994, 1998, 1999)
- Most appearances: 8; Ken Griffey, Jr. (1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
- Most home runs, one round: Bobby Abreu; 24 (2005, First Round)
- Most home runs, one event: Bobby Abreu; 41 (2005)
[edit] Derby Winners
[edit] Yearly Results
[edit] 1985
- held on Monday, July 15, 1985 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
| American League | National League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Home Runs | Player | Team | Home Runs | |
| Jim Rice | Boston Red Sox | 4 | Dave Parker | Cincinnati Reds | 6 | |
| Eddie Murray | Baltimore Orioles | 4 | Dale Murphy | Atlanta Braves | 4 | |
| Carlton Fisk | Chicago White Sox | 4 | Steve Garvey | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2 | |
| Tom Brunansky | Minnesota Twins | 4 | Ryne Sandberg | Chicago Cubs | 2 | |
| Cal Ripken Jr. | Baltimore Orioles | 1 | Jack Clark | St. Louis Cardinals | 2 | |
| American League | 17 | National League | 16 | |||
[edit] 1986
| American League | National League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Home Runs | Player | Team | Home Runs | |
| Wally Joyner | California Angels | 4 | Darryl Strawberry | New York Mets | 4 | |
| Jesse Barfield | Toronto Blue Jays | 2 | Dave Parker | Cincinnati Reds | 3 | |
| Jose Canseco | Oakland Athletics | 1 | Hubie Brooks | Montréal Expos | 1 | |
| American League | 7 | National League | 8 | |||
[edit] 1987
- held on Monday, July 13, 1987 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
| American League | National League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Home Runs | Player | Team | Home Runs | |
| George Bell | Toronto Blue Jays | 1 | Andre Dawson | Chicago Cubs | 4 | |
| Mark McGwire | Oakland Athletics | 1 | Ozzie Virgil | Atlanta Braves | 2 | |
| American League | 2 | National League | 6 | |||
[edit] 1988
The 1988 Home Run Derby was to be held at Riverfront Stadium, but was cancelled due to rain
[edit] 1989
- held on Monday, July 10, 1989 at Anaheim Stadium
| American League | National League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Home Runs | Player | Team | Home Runs | |
| Ruben Sierra | Texas Rangers | 3 | Eric Davis | Cincinnati Reds | 3 | |
| Mickey Tettleton | Detroit Tigers | 1 | Glenn Davis | Houston Astros | 2 | |
| Bo Jackson | Kansas City Royals | 1 | Howard Johnson | New York Mets | 2 | |
| Gary Gaetti | Minnesota Twins | 0 | Kevin Mitchell | San Francisco Giants | 2 | |
| American League | 5 | National League | 9 | |||
[edit] 1990
- held on Monday, July 9, 1990 at Wrigley Field
| American League | National League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Home Runs | Player | Team | Home Runs | |
| Mark McGwire | Oakland Athletics | 1 | Ryne Sandberg | Chicago Cubs | 3 | |
| Ken Griffey, Jr. | Seattle Mariners | 0 | Matt Williams | San Francisco Giants | 1 | |
| Jose Canseco | Oakland Athletics | 0 | Bobby Bonilla | Pittsburgh Pirates | 0 | |
| Cecil Fielder | Detroit Tigers | 0 | Darryl Strawberry | New York Mets | 0 | |
| American League | 5 | National League | 4 | |||
[edit] 1991
| American League | National League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Home Runs | Player | Team | Home Runs | |
| Cal Ripken, Jr. | Baltimore Orioles | 12 | Paul O'Neill | Cincinnati Reds | 5 | |
| Cecil Fielder | Detroit Tigers | 4 | George Bell | Chicago Cubs | 2 | |
| Joe Carter | Toronto Blue Jays | 2 | Chris Sabo | Cincinnati Reds | 0 | |
| Danny Tartabull | Kansas City Royals | 2 | Howard Johnson | New York Mets | 0 | |
| American League | 20 | National League | 7 | |||
[edit] 1992
- held on Monday, July 13, 1992 at Jack Murphy Stadium
| American League | National League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Home Runs | Player | Team | Home Runs | |
| Mark McGwire | Oakland Athletics | 12 | Larry Walker | Montréal Expos | 4 | |
| Ken Griffey, Jr. | Seattle Mariners | 7 | Gary Sheffield | San Diego Padres | 4 | |
| Joe Carter | Toronto Blue Jays | 4 | Fred McGriff | San Diego Padres | 3 | |
| Cal Ripken, Jr. | Baltimore Orioles | 4 | Barry Bonds | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 | |
| American League | 27 | National League | 13 | |||
[edit] 1993
- held on Monday, July 12, 1993 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
| American League | National League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Home Runs | Player | Team | Home Runs | |
| Juan Gonzalez | Texas Rangers | 7 see notes | Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | 5 | |
| Ken Griffey, Jr. | Seattle Mariners | 7 | Bobby Bonilla | New York Mets | 5 | |
| Cecil Fielder | Detroit Tigers | 4 | David Justice | Atlanta Braves | 2 | |
| Albert Belle | Cleveland Indians | 3 | Mike Piazza | Los Angeles Dodgers | 0 | |
| American League | 21 | National League | 12 | |||
- First Extra Round: Griffey Jr., 4; Gonzalez, 4
- Second Extra Round: Gonzalez, 1; Griffey Jr., 0 - Juan Gonzalez wins the home-run derby
[edit] 1994
- held on Monday, July 11, 1994 at Three Rivers Stadium
| American League | National League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Home Runs | Player | Team | Home Runs | |
| Ken Griffey, Jr. | Seattle Mariners | 7 | Fred McGriff | Atlanta Braves | 5 | |
| Ruben Sierra | Oakland Athletics | 4 | Jeff Bagwell | Houston Astros | 3 | |
| Frank Thomas | Chicago White Sox | 4 | Dante Bichette | Colorado Rockies | 3 | |
| Albert Belle | Cleveland Indians | 2 | Mike Piazza | Los Angeles Dodgers | 0 | |
| American League | 21 | National League | 11 | |||
[edit] 1995
The American League won the contest over the National League, 21 homers to 9.
- held on Monday, July 10, 1995 at The Ballpark in Arlington
| Player | Team | First Round | Second Round | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Thomas | Chicago White Sox | 8 | 4 | 3 | 15 |
| Albert Belle | Cleveland Indians | 7 | 7 | 2 | 16 |
| Mo Vaughn | Boston Red Sox | 3 | 3 | - | 6 |
| Ron Gant | Cincinnati Reds | 3 | 3 | - | 6 |
| Manny Ramirez | Cleveland Indians | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Raul Mondesi | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Reggie Sanders | Cincinnati Reds | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Sammy Sosa | Chicago Cubs | 2 | - | - | 2 |
[edit] 1996
The American League won the contest over the National League, 17 homers to 10.
- held on Monday, July 8, 1996 at Veterans Stadium
| Player | Team | First Round | Second Round | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | 4 | 10 | 3 | 17 |
| Mark McGwire | Oakland Athletics | 4 | 9 | 2 | 15 |
| Brady Anderson | Baltimore Orioles | 5 | 6 | - | 11 |
| Jay Buhner | Seattle Mariners | 6 | 2 | - | 8 |
| Henry Rodriguez | Montréal Expos | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Jeff Bagwell | Houston Astros | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Joe Carter | Toronto Blue Jays | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Ellis Burks | Colorado Rockies | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| Gary Sheffield | Florida Marlins | 0 | - | - | 0 |
| Greg Vaughn | Milwaukee Brewers | 0 | - | - | 0 |
[edit] 1997
The American League won the contest over the National League, 17 homers to 14. The American League contingent featured six players to the National League's four.
- held on Monday, July 7, 1997 at Jacobs Field
| Player | Team | First Round | Semifinals | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tino Martinez | New York Yankees | 5 | 8 | 3 | 16 |
| Larry Walker | Colorado Rockies | 9 | 9 | 1 | 19 |
| Mark McGwire | Oakland Athletics | 5 | 2 | - | 7 |
| Jeff Bagwell | Houston Astros | 4 | 1 | - | 5 |
| Brady Anderson | Baltimore Orioles | 4 | - | - | 4 |
| Ken Griffey, Jr. | Seattle Mariners | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Ray Lankford | St. Louis Cardinals | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Nomar Garciaparra | Boston Red Sox | 0 | - | - | 0 |
| Jim Thome | Cleveland Indians | 0 | - | - | 0 |
[edit] 1998
The American League won the contest over the National League, 29 homers to 24.
- held on Monday, July 6, 1998 at Coors Field
| Player | Team | First Round | Semifinals | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Griffey, Jr. | Seattle Mariners | 8 | 8 | 3 | 19 |
| Jim Thome | Cleveland Indians | 7 | 8 | 2 | 17 |
| Vinny Castilla | Colorado Rockies | 7 | 5 | - | 12 |
| Rafael Palmeiro | Baltimore Orioles | 7 | 3 | - | 10 |
| Moises Alou | Houston Astros | 7 | - | - | 7 |
| Javy Lopez | Atlanta Braves | 5 | - | - | 5 |
| Alex Rodriguez | Seattle Mariners | 5 | - | - | 5 |
| Mark McGwire | St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | - | - | 4 |
| Damion Easley | Detroit Tigers | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves | 1 | - | - | 1 |
[edit] 1999
The National League won the contest over the American League, 27 homers to 10.
- held on Monday, July 12, 1999 at Fenway Park
| Player | Team | First Round | Semifinals | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Griffey, Jr. | Seattle Mariners | 3 | 10 | 3 | 16 |
| Jeromy Burnitz | Milwaukee Brewers | 6 | 6 | 2 | 14 |
| Mark McGwire | St. Louis Cardinals | 13 | 3 | - | 16 |
| Jeff Bagwell | Houston Astros | 5 | 1 | - | 6 |
| Larry Walker | Colorado Rockies | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Nomar Garciaparra | Boston Red Sox | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| B.J. Surhoff | Baltimore Orioles | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Shawn Green | Toronto Blue Jays | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Sammy Sosa | Chicago Cubs | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| John Jaha | Oakland Athletics | 1 | - | - | 1 |
[edit] 2000
The National League won the contest over the American League, 16 homers to 14.
- held on Monday, July 10, 2000 at Turner Field
| Player | Team | First Round | Semifinals | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sammy Sosa | Chicago Cubs | 6 | 11 | 9 | 26 |
| Ken Griffey Jr. | Cincinnati Reds | 6 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Carl Everett | Boston Red Sox | 6 | 6 | - | 12 |
| Carlos Delgado | Toronto Blue Jays | 5 | 1 | - | 6 |
| Edgar Martinez | Seattle Mariners | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Vladimir Guerrero | Montréal Expos | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Ivan Rodriguez | Texas Rangers | 1 | - | - | 1 |
[edit] 2001
The American League won the contest over the National League, 19 homers to 17.
- held on Monday, July 9, 2000 at Safeco Field
| Player | Team | First Round | Semifinals | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Gonzalez | Arizona Diamondbacks | 5 | 5 | 6 | 16 |
| Sammy Sosa | Chicago Cubs | 3 | 8 | 2 | 13 |
| Jason Giambi | Oakland Athletics | 14 | 6 | - | 20 |
| Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | 7 | 3 | - | 10 |
| Alex Rodriguez | Texas Rangers | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Bret Boone | Seattle Mariners | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Todd Helton | Colorado Rockies | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Troy Glaus | Anaheim Angels | 0 | - | - | 0 |
[edit] 2002
The American League won the contest over the National League, 22 homers to 21.
- held on Monday, July 8, 2002 at Miller Park
| Player | Team | First Round | Semifinals | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Giambi | New York Yankees | 11 | 6 | 7 | 24 |
| Sammy Sosa | Chicago Cubs | 12 | 5 | 1 | 18 |
| Paul Konerko | Chicago White Sox | 6 | 6 | - | 12 |
| Richie Sexson | Milwaukee Brewers | 6 | 4 | - | 10 |
| Torii Hunter | Minnesota Twins | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Alex Rodriguez | Texas Rangers | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Lance Berkman | Houston Astros | 1 | - | - | 1 |
Giambi advanced to the Finals after swingoff versus Konerko.
[edit] 2003
The American League won the contest over the National League, 21 homers to 13.
- held on Monday, July 14, 2003 at U.S. Cellular Field
| Player | Team | First Round | Semifinals | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garret Anderson | Anaheim Angels | 7 | 6 | 9 | 22 |
| Albert Pujols | St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 14 | 8 | 26 |
| Jason Giambi | New York Yankees | 12 | 11 | - | 23 |
| Jim Edmonds | St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 4 | - | 8 |
| Gary Sheffield | Atlanta Braves | 4 | - | - | 4 |
| Carlos Delgado | Toronto Blue Jays | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Richie Sexson | Milwaukee Brewers | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| Bret Boone | Seattle Mariners | 0 | - | - | 0 |
Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols advanced the the semifinals over Gary Sheffield due to higher season-to-date home run totals; Edmonds had 28, Pujols had 27 , while Sheffield had 22.
Semifinals matchups were determined by first round home run totals, with the season-to-date home run total being the tie-breaker.
| Semifinals | Finals | |||||||
| 1 | Jason Giambi | 11 | ||||||
| 4 | Albert Pujols | 12 | ||||||
| Albert Pujols | 8 | |||||||
| Garret Anderson | 9 | |||||||
| 2 | Garret Anderson | 6 | ||||||
| 3 | Jim Edmonds | 4 | ||||||
[edit] 2004
The National League won the contest over the American League, 24 homers to 22.
- held on Monday, July 12, 2004 at Minute Maid Park
| Player | Team | First Round | Semifinals | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miguel Tejada | Baltimore Orioles | 7 | 15 | 5 | 27 |
| Lance Berkman | Houston Astros | 7 | 10 | 4 | 21 |
| Rafael Palmeiro | Baltimore Orioles | 9 | 5 | - | 14 |
| Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | 8 | 3 | - | 11 |
| Sammy Sosa | Chicago Cubs | 5 | - | - | 5 |
| Jim Thome | Philadelphia Phillies | 4 | - | - | 4 |
| Hank Blalock | Texas Rangers | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| David Ortiz | Boston Red Sox | 3 | - | - | 3 |
Tejada hit the winning home run with 5 outs remaining in final round.
[edit] 2005
The derby featured players representing eight nations that would play in the following year's World Baseball Classic, therefore the league representation was unbalanced with five National Leaguers versus three from the American League.
- held on Monday, July 11, 2005 at Comerica Park
| Player | Nation | Team | First Round | Semifinals | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Abreu |  Venezuela | Philadelphia Phillies | 24 | 6 | 11 | 41 |
| Ivan Rodriguez |  Puerto Rico | Detroit Tigers | 7 | 8 | 5 | 20 |
| Carlos Lee |  Panama | Milwaukee Brewers | 11 | 4 | - | 15 |
| David Ortiz |  Dominican Republic | Boston Red Sox | 17 | 3 | - | 20 |
| Hee-Seop Choi |  South Korea | Los Angeles Dodgers | 5 | - | - | 5 |
| Andruw Jones |  Netherlands | Atlanta Braves | 5 | - | - | 5 |
| Mark Teixeira |  United States | Texas Rangers | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Jason Bay |  Canada | Pittsburgh Pirates | 0 | - | - | 0 |
[edit] 2006
The National League won the contest over the American League, 40 homers to 17.
| Player | Team | First Round | Semifinals | Finals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Howard | Philadelphia Phillies | 8 | 10 | 5 | 23 |
| David Wright | New York Mets | 16 | 2 | 4 | 22 |
| Miguel Cabrera | Florida Marlins | 9 | 6 | - | 15 |
| David Ortiz | Boston Red Sox | 10 | 3 | - | 13 |
| Jermaine Dye | Chicago White Sox | 7 | - | - | 7 |
| Miguel Tejada | Baltimore Orioles | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Lance Berkman | Houston Astros | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Troy Glaus | Toronto Blue Jays | 1 | - | - | 1 |
Howard hit the winning home run with 5 outs remaining in final round.
