How the MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby Works

One of the most sought-after events at the MLB All-Star break is none other than the Home Run Derby, where the league’s most prolific mashers take their talents center stage in hopes of sending plenty of balls out of the park to the delight of baseball fans.

The Home Run Derby has been around for over two decades, and many changes to the event have been made over the years. Here’s a brief rundown of how the hard-hitting spectacle works in light of what we’re about to witness this Monday at Marlins Park.

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How the MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby Works

Contest Format

Despite the numerous revisions of the Home Run Derby, the 2017 edition of the contest will basically have the format and rules applied from the previous season.

A field of eight players will battle in a single-elimination tournament, with the seedings of each participant based on their home run totals for the current season. Winners from the four head-to-head matchups will move on to the semifinals. The two winners from the semifinal rounds will then advance to the final round of the event, and the winner from the last stage of the contest will be crowned the Home Run Derby champion.

Here’s the current bracket for the 2017 edition of the Derby:

Time Limits and Stoppages

Each player will have four minutes per round to hit as many balls out of the park. It was only in 2016 that the Derby’s time limit per round was decreased from five minutes to four minutes, seeing that past participants get exhausted more easily with five minutes on the clock compared to just four and thus affects the overall quality of the event.

Speaking of exhaustion, players are given one 45-second timeout in each of the first two rounds to recuperate from their slugging ways. The last two participants in the final round, meanwhile, will be given two timeouts apiece; a 30-second and a 45-second breather.

Tiebreaker Scenario

Should a round end up in a tie, a 60-second swing-off will commence and the player who hits the most home runs during the swing-off will be awarded the round. Should another tie occur during the swing-off, each of the two players will then have three more swings to hit as many home runs until the tie is finally broken.

Bonus Time

Players have a chance to extend their time limit per round by smashing a couple of balls by a certain distance. If a player hits two home runs with equal or greater distance of 440 feet, he’ll be awarded with 30 more seconds in the round to keep swinging for the fences.

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