The 2024 MLB Home Run Derby is teed up for Monday night in Arlington.
Over the years, there’s been exciting moments created from mammoth home runs in the derby. The annual event tends to be a lot of fun when it’s really hitting its stride. Recently, format changes have delivered and produced memorable moments as well.
Here are six awesome moments from the Derby to get you excited for tonight.
Hey, wall! It’s Ken Griffey Jr.!
Camden Yards and the famed B&O Warehouse received an unexpected visitor during the 1993 MLB Home Run Derby. The legendary Ken Griffey Jr. put on a memorable display in Baltimore during the festivities over 30 years ago. Griffey’s most memorable blast went all the way out to the big warehouse.
Griffey became a 3-time Derby champion eventually, and this was just the start of Griffey’s emergence into legendary status.
Mark McGwire’s Boston slugfest
The 1999 Home Run Derby is one of the most memorable in the event’s history. Fenway Park played host to an unforgettable night in Boston, where Mark McGwire stood out the most. The St. Louis Cardinals slugger mashed a whopping 13 home runs in one round, which at the time was staggering.
McGwire and many more smoked long balls all night at Fenway Park in 1999. When you think of the Derby, the 1999 event probably comes to mind the most. McGwire’s incredible power display is a major reason why.
Sammy Sosa goes bananas in Milwaukee
Three years after McGwire’s insane display, Sammy Sosa raised him and everyone else one.
In 2002, the Chicago Cubs superstar appeared in the Derby at nearby Miller Park in Milwaukee. Sosa hit massive home run after massive home run.
He hit a whopping EIGHT home runs that went over 480 feet. Five of his home runs climbed over 500 feet, and he tattooed one 524 feet!
It’s one of the most magnificent displays of power in any Home Run Derby ever. It’s truly astonishing to look back on and think about sometimes, but Sosa became an all-time Derby legend that night.
Josh Hamilton with one to remember in the Bronx
Josh Hamilton created an unforgettable moment for himself and sports fans all over. After battling addiction, Hamilton made his way into the 2008 Home Run Derby. The Derby took place at historic Yankee Stadium in its final year of existence. Hamilton gave the New York fans something to remember forever.
Hamilton blasted 28 home runs in the first round! The record-setting performance will always have Chris Berman as its soundtrack with his memorable calls.
Hamilton might not have won the 2008 Derby – that was the Minnesota Twins’ Justin Morneau – but there was little doubt who became a superstar that night in The Bronx.
Julioooooo
At a certain point, the Home Run Derby started to die down a little bit. It’s no one’s fault, but interest waned a little bit over the years. The 2023 Home Run Derby was anything except lackluster. T-Mobile Park in Seattle had several crowd pleasing moments, but none more than the show that Julio Rodriguez put on.
The Seattle Mariners superstar gave the home fans something to go crazy over. He hit a ridiculous FORTY-ONE home runs in the first round. Several of his rockets were so unbelievable, it almost made you laugh at how easy it looked.
Rodriguez probably made new fans by the dozen or more that night in Seattle last year.
Vladdy joins his dad in elite company
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the 2023 Home Run Derby, and by doing so, he entered some elite company. Back in 2007, Vladimir Guerrero, the Hall of Fame outfielder and Vladdy’s father, won the Home Run Derby in San Francisco. So that meant that father and son were Home Run Derby champions.
This was one of those genuinely cool moments for the Guerrero family. Vladdy grew up around the big leagues and even appeared at previous All-Star Games as a child. It’s amazing that all those years later, Vladimir Jr. was able to celebrate just like his father could after winning the same event he did.
