Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani makes history on Monday night as the first player ever to start a game as a pitcher and participate in the Home Run Derby. Because of this — and a stacked group of participants — this year’s Derby figures to be one for the history books.
Ohtani was the first and most notable name to submit his entry for this year’s Home Run Derby, and the names that followed ensured an incredible night.
New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto, Texas Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo, Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini, Oakland Athletics first baseman Matt Olson, and Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez round out the contestants.
Here, we will break down the rules, bracket, and all important information ahead of Monday night in Denver, Colorado.
The Home Run Derby follows a single-elimination bracket system, with the eight players receiving a rank based on their home run totals thus far this season. Ohtani is the No. 1 seed as he leads all contestants in home runs, while Soto in No. 8.
Batters get three minutes per regulation round in the first and second round, but just two minutes in the finals. The clock starts when the first pitch is released and continues until the buzzer sounds. Any home run hit after the clock expires will count if the pitch was released before the buzzer.
Each round will also come with a bonus round of 30 seconds, but that can be increased to 60 seconds if the player hits a home run that exceeds 475 feet during their regulation period. Players will also be afforded one 45-second timeout that can only be used during the regulation period.
Any ties after each player’s bonus round will be resolved by a 60-second swing-off with no timeouts. If the tie remains after the 60 seconds, there will be a three-swing swing-off — similar to penalty kicks — until a winner is crowned. This happened in 2019 between Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Joc Pederson.
Bracket and TV Info
(1) Shohei Ohtani, Angels vs. (8) Juan Soto, Nationals
(4) Salvador Perez, Royals vs. (5) Pete Alonso, Mets
(2) Joey Gallo, Rangers vs. (7) Trevor Story, Rockies
(3) Matt Olson, Athletics vs. (6) Trey Mancini, Orioles
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado
Monday, July 12, 2021
5:00 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN, ESPN2 (Statcast-driven experience)
Radio: ESPN 710 LA