The Home Run Derby became a staple in the late 80’s on Major League Baseball’s All-Star weekend. However, its popularity started to dip a bit over in recent years. Enter a new scoring and tournament bracket format in 2014 and then another switch in 2015. In 2014, Yoenis Cespedes found success with the new(er) format, having seven outs each in the first round and facing off against five other players from the same league. It was a fun new tinker, but it was a little confusing.
Baseball then streamlined the guidelines by facing each player off head-to-head against each other. In the new format, Todd Frazier picked up the first win in 2015, but Giancarlo Stanton stole the show in 2016. Let us tell you how and showcase some of the best moments in Home Run Derby history.
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Greatest MLB All-Star Home Run Derby Moments in History
The Derby has endured some tremendous moments since its inception in 1985. These moments that we have hand selected, however, easily take the cake. Let’s start things out chronologically and work our way forward. For the first six years of the ASG novelty, there really weren’t that many highlights, so let’s take a look at how this event really took off and became Must See TV.
1991 – Big Daddy Cecil Fielder
We all knew Cecil Fielder swung a mighty stick – I won’t reword that – at the 91 All-Star Derby though, Cecil showed us something we’d never seen before. Something that those north of the border weren’t quite used to.
The big man struck two dingers into the Sightlines bar in Toronto’s Skydome. Now upon first read here, you’re probably thinking, “So he it into a bar, big deal!”
Think that if you will, that bar though is located above the center-field wall on the third deck just under the stadium’s scoreboard! Fielder turned some heads and spilled some drinks on rare chilly summer night in Toronto, Ontario.
1993 – The Kid Smacks the House
Ken Griffey Jr was always known for his home run prowess. In 1993 though, he turned the event on its head. He became the first man in Home Run Derby history to clear the stadium and hit another building. He struck his dinger out of Baltimore’s Camden Yards and off the side of the B&O Warehouse across the street. The Kid still has a plaque on the brick wall remembering his colossal Eutaw Street moonshot!
1994 – The Big Hurt’s Big Shot
Coming off that towering shot from KGJ the year before, the ASG relocated to Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium. Frank Thomas also entered the contest as one of the obvious favorites to take the crown. The Big Hurt sent an absolute missile over the wall and up four decks! The chair he hit was an estimated nine rows above the foul pole in left. The Pirates put a star on the seat signifying one of the highest hit balls ever in the stadium. Before Three Rivers was imploded in 2001, the Pirates had Thomas sign the chair before auctioning it off for charity.
1999 – Big Mac leaves Boston Speechless
One year after his record setting 70-home runs in a single season, Mark McGwire was obviously named to the Derby roster. He wouldn’t win the smack-off, but he would leave the crowd with something to remember. He hit one of his dingers 488-feet over the Green Monster in left, over a parking lot, over some railroad tracks and off a billboard deep in the distance. Like him or hate him, McGwire could hit the long ball and chicks dig the long ball!
2000 – Slammin Sammy Silences Y2K
Sammy won his first and only Derby in 2000. The All-Star weekend was held at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA and the Chicao Cubby excelled in the evening heat. He was so loose that he drilled a mind boggling 508-footer over the cameras in center-field. Sosa always knew how to leave his mark and the Georgians in attendance will never forget the night he lit up the summer sky.
2009 – The Fielder Family Footsteps
Son of Cecil – Prince Fielder was always destined to hit the long ball. He was always destined to make a Home Run Derby appearance and to do his father one better and actually take the title. On a cool breezy night in St. Louis, the young budding Brewer smacked a grand total of 10,087 feet worth of dingers. His biggest boomsticker landed above the right-center bleachers and traveled a grand total of 503-feet into the plaza. Prince became a king in in the final act of the century’s opening decade.
2016 – Stanton Belts 61 Bombs
Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins stepped up to the dish on a Monday night in San Diego with the crowd salivating in anticipation. The guy is a natural born leather killer and he went off early. He belted 24 dingers in the first round of the tourney. He narrowly missed the scoreboard on numerous occasions and had ten homers travel over 480-feet. His longest two balls sailed 497-feet to left-center and he finished the Derby with 61 kong shots for the title. Stanton became a folk hero in a rival National League park on July 11, 2016.
