This year, Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby took us to everyone’s favorite supersized garden shed: Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The contest featured veterans, such as two-time champion Pete Alonso, and five first-timers; classic Derby costars (a rambling horde of children sprinting to and fro in the outfield) and new ones (a rambling horde of gleeful Phillies). The Derby has given us a winner in Dodgers center fielder Teoscar Hernández, as well as seven losers. But that’s not all. Let’s take a look at this year’s Home Run Derby winners and losers.
Winner: Teoscar Hernández (Duh)
It is rather amazing—particularly given the team’s last decade or so—that until now, the Dodgers had never had a player win the Home Run Derby. Hernández managed to put that ignominious record to an end, first besting Alec Bohm and then Bobby Witt Jr., the red-hot Royals shortstop many expected to win the competition.
Instead, it’s Hernández who won baseball’s second-pointiest trophy (plus a cool $1 million). This year’s Derby managed multiple nail-biter moments (more on those in a moment), and Hernández was at the center of both: At one point late in the finals, the camera panned to his wife, Jennifer, who appeared to say, “Oh my god” and cover her face in anxiety.
Loser: Americana
I have thought long and hard about country singer Ingrid Andress’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and my conclusion is that the only conceivable explanation is that she was doing a bit. How else to explain a performance that got the word “awful” to trend on X? On the field, it was enough to make Bohm crack up; in living rooms across America … well, Andress’s mentions are not good right now, per se. I don’t envy anyone in the position of putting their own spin on the national anthem, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a rendition as thoroughly odd as this one. It was a bit, right? Did something go horribly wrong with the audio equipment in Arlington? Help.
Winner: The New Bonus Round Rules
This year’s Derby switched up the rules governing the bonus round. Instead of an additional time period tacked on to the end of rounds, batters were given three outs at the conclusion of their allotted time, where each ball that wasn’t a home run was scored as an out. Both Hernández and José Ramírez made hay out of their opportunities early on, adding a crucial six (Hernández) and six (Ramírez) home runs to their totals—enough to push Hernández forward into the second round.
The rules also set the stage for the thrilling end of the second round. Bohm tied Hernández at the end of his regular period, no thanks to a final pitch that went just foul, which the collective Phillies squad seemed to be certain would be fair as they leaped to their feet in preemptive celebration. Instead, Bohm went into the bonus round needing just one more home run to win—which he nearly got on his last swing, only for the ball to land just short and then bounce over the outfield wall. (Ain’t no doubles in the Derby.) That in turn forced Bohm into a swing-off round with Hernández, in which each player got three swings—not outs—to record as many home runs as possible. The drama continued when Hernández knocked two of three out of the park, meaning Bohm needed to do the same to tie or be perfect to win. Bohm missed on his first attempt but then hammered his second, creating the tensest moment of the entire Derby as he lined up for his last, make-or-break opportunity. The Phillies third baseman ended up popping up, sending Hernández on to the finals against Witt.
The finals also came down to the bonus round. Witt, who batted second, needed 14 home runs to tie Hernández. He finished his regular time with 11 home runs. In the bonus round, Witt quickly accrued two outs, then hit two do-or-die home runs (the first of which earned him an extra out) to bring him within one to tie with two outs to go. But he pulled the next pitch foul, and almost hit the last one over the center field fence. But this was neither horseshoes nor hand grenades, and Hernández won it all. The Home Run Derby is sometimes criticized for its lack of dramatic fireworks. Thanks to the configuration of the bonus round, we got plenty.
Loser: Pete Alonso
Alonso was seen by many as the front-runner at this year’s Derby, for good reason: He’s won the contest twice, and this year marked his fifth appearance in a row. Instead, Alonso, who’s got 19 homers so far this year, managed to rack up only a dismal 12. He doesn’t even have the unseasoned pitcher excuse that has been a factor in so many losses in previous years: He had Dave Jauss on the mound, the former Mets bench coach (and current Nationals senior adviser) who also threw to Alonso at the 2021 Derby, which Alonso won.
Winner: Phillies Vibes
Bohm’s presence in the Derby lineup was more than a little surprising: He’s hit just 11 home runs this season, the fewest of anyone in this year’s field, and is much better known for his propensity to hit doubles than for smoking balls into the bleachers. While his opponents—particularly Alonso, who was captured on camera breathing deeply with his eyes closed ahead of his round—sometimes looked tense, Bohm was usually beaming on camera, seemingly just tickled to find himself there. (“Just like everybody thought,” he said dryly of becoming a semifinalist.)
It didn’t seem to hurt that he had so many teammates on hand. You have surely heard by now that the 2024 Phillies are a vibe. The best team in baseball is also a ragtag bunch of himbo kings with weird hair—the kind of bizarro organization that is sending a whopping eight players to this year’s All-Star Game and that recently celebrated upgrading the clubhouse fog machine. Many of Philadelphia’s All-Stars, including Bryce Harper and Trea Turner, spent the Derby sprawled together on a couch in the player viewing areas on the field.
In the second round, when Bohm got off to a slow start and hit just three homers before calling a timeout, he seemed to look toward his teammates as he quipped, “That’s not very many.” Five Phillies then bounded over to discuss; afterward, Bohm ended up very nearly winning the round. His bat was itself a tribute to the team, covered in his teammates’ jersey numbers—plus a hoagie for good measure. Harper, never one to let an opportunity for pandering to Philadelphians pass him by, got in on the fun, delivering Bohm a jug of water labeled “WOODER” that the third baseman sipped from throughout the contest.
Loser: Adolis García
Last year, García’s Derby was notable for an unfortunate reason: His pitcher, Rangers third base coach Tony Beasley, just couldn’t get things going, leading to García’s elimination in the first round. (A representative comment in the Rangers subreddit after the announcement that García would also be part of this year’s event: “BAN TONY BEASLEY FROM THE PARK RIGHT NOW.”) This year, García tapped Franmy Peña, a trainer and scout who pitched to Julio Rodríguez at last year’s Derby—an outing that saw Rodríguez break the record for most home runs in a single round (41). But García couldn’t recapture whatever magic Rodríguez and Peña managed last year. El Bombi hit 18 home runs in the first round—just one more than he did during last year’s debacle.
Winner: Scooby-Doo (and Eduardo Pérez)
There was a horrible moment early in the Derby broadcast when it seemed like we wouldn’t get to hear Gunnar Henderson’s Scooby-Doo impression. The Orioles shortstop arrived at the competition with a custom Scooby-Doo bat, which Ken Rosenthal asked him about just before the Derby began. “I’ve always been able to do a pretty good Scooby-Doo impression,” he told Rosenthal, then walked away without demonstrating it. Fortunately, Eduardo Pérez saved the day, grabbing Henderson moments later and asking him to show America what he’s got. We are all better for it.
Loser: The Pink Carpet
In general, the lounge areas set up for players and their families in front of either dugout were a great addition to the broadcast, featuring big, brawny baseball players alternately goofing around with their kids and teammates and staring dead-eyed into their phones. (Professional athletes: They’re just like us!) Because this is 2024, the zones were arranged on top of a bright pink carpet in honor of a certain mobile phone sponsor. Unfortunately for the poor, innocent brand activation, baseball players love few things more than perpetually gnawing on stuff and hocking up remains onto the ground at will. The carpet never stood a chance.
