The 10 Greatest Home Run Derby Moments Of All-Time (VIDEOS)

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Baseball player hitting ball with bat in close up

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The old saying has always been, “Chicks dig the long ball.” However, let’s be serious here, we all dig the long ball. There’s nothing sweeter than being in attendance at a baseball game and seeing that little tiny ball scoot by at triple digits landing in a crowd fighting for their souvenir moment.

Home runs bring everyone to their feet. This is why the MLB Home Run Derby is a spectacle every season.

As we prepare for another installment tonight, let’s take a look back on Derby’s past.

Here are the 10 greatest Home Run Derby Moments.

10. Ken Griffey Jr. Drills Warehouse In Baltimore

There’s not a sweeter swing in the history of baseball than Ken Griffey Jr.’s. The ‘Kid’ captured a generation that still gushes when they talk about the No. 24.

In 1993, Griffey Jr. continued to write his own legacy with one sweet swing at the Derby. Jr. launched a ball 460 feet, nailing a warehouse that was located just outside of the ballpark in Baltimore.

While Jr. might not have been the winner that season, the monstrous dinger is still the most talked about moment from that year’s event. Rightfully so.

9. Bobby Abreu Goes Ham In Detroit

Bobby Abreu’s 2005 performance in the Home Run Derby is one of the most memorable of my lifetime. I still picture 12-year-old me rushing my mother home from VBS so I could watch the Derby. It’s what the Lord would have wanted for me and my brother.

For our faithfulness to the Derby, we were given the chance to witness one of the greatest player performances in the event. In the shadows of a steroid era, fans were treated to a night they never thought they would see again.

Abreu crushed 24 long boys in the first round, eventually leading to the Phillies outfielder winning the trophy at the end of the night. A truly magical Derby moment.

8. Pete Alonso Home Run King

So the New York Mets aren’t having the best season. It’s not a surprise to fans named Frank The Tank. However, others were expecting a World Series-caliber season.

Don’t fret just yet, Mets nation; there’s still one moment the franchise could potentially celebrate this season.

Pete Alonso will be a participant in the 2023 Derby. The Mets slugger has already earned two Derby championships in 2019 and 2021. Alonso had an incredible performance in the 2019 event and returned to form in 2021 after the event was canceled in 2020 for that virus that shall not be named.

With a win tonight, Alonso could be the Joey Chestnut of Home Run Derby winners.

7. Josh Hamilton Runs The Bronx

Everyone loves a good comeback story. If you’ve watched the outtakes of ‘Parks & Recreation,’ on YouTube, you will know that the last line leads to a memorable Chris Pratt moment.

However, we are not here to talk about funny outtakes but a moment that Josh Hamilton created to last a lifetime.

Hamilton was once a prized draft pick who had fallen on hard times. However, hard times don’t last if you put in the work. Which is exactly what Hamilton did. The former Texas Rangers star delivered an unforgettable Derby performance. Hammering 28, see you laters in the opening round.

He may not have taken home the trophy on the night, but Hamilton did create a moment that his past self may have not thought was even possible.

6. Aaron Judge Delivers During Rookie Season

When you tell someone now about Aaron Judge’s 2017 Home Run Derby performance, it doesn’t have that shock factor. Judge is well on his way to creating his spot in Cooperstown. However, in 2017, the star right fielder was just a rookie. He was a rookie looking to make a name for himself on the big stage, which is exactly what he did.

If you’re going to be the captain of the New York Yankees, you have to show up in the big moments. Before the night, Judge was known as the kid with potential. After the evening, Judge was known as the man to be feared at the plate.

The 2017 Derby will forever be known as the night Aaron Judge introduced himself to the baseball world.

5. Sammy Sosa Flexes Unreal Strength

Can we all stop acting like we care that professional athletes take steroids? One of the key factors that people tend to forget about professional sports is that it’s entertainment. Stop with the holier-than-thou nonsense that you care about the integrity of the game. We all care about being entertained.

This is why those who grew up in the steroid era talk about the good old days. The likes of Sammy Sosa attempting to put a dent in the moon will never happen again. Which is ultimately a sad thing to think about.

However, the moments are still captured for all of us to relive. A time when the juice tasted good.

4. A Dad & His Boy

I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t understand how impactful the movie ‘Field Of Dreams,’ was when I was a child. However, after watching it as somewhat of an adult, I can tell you that the movie pulls the heartstrings. This is why Bryce Harper’s 2018 Home Run Derby moment is so special.

In the event, Harper selected his father to be the one throwing to him. In his home ballpark with his father on the mound, the Harper boy took home the Derby crown.

While the Washington faithful may not be so keen on Harper now, for one night in 2018, the entire country was pulling for the face of the league to make magic. A dad and his son will now cherish one of the greatest Derby moments forever.

3. The Kid & Big Mac

Fenway Park, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mark McGwire. Those are the only words that need to be said when describing the 1999 Home Run Derby.

The Green Monster has always delivered a scenery that no other park can match. Add the sweetest swing and a home run king; then you have magic. The two sluggers went dinger for dinger during that July night.

In the end, it was Jr. walking away with the trophy. However, fans were dazzled by the sheer power of McGwire’s shots over that big green wall.

2. The Toddfather’s Queen City Moment

Over the last decade, there haven’t been a lot of moments for fans of the Cincinnati Reds to cheer for. However, the city got the chance to host the MLB All-Star weekend back in 2014. Which meant that one of their own would enter the Home Run Derby.

This is when Todd Fraizer enters the chat.

Frazier was less than a favorite to be the winner of the event. But that didn’t stop the kid from Toms River, New Jersey, from giving a starving fanbase something to celebrate. Fraizer’s 2014 Home Run Derby crown may be the most emotional victory a player has ever had the chance to be a part of.

A moment that is still talked about by those who are loyal to the Cincinnati Reds.

1. The 1998 Home Run Derby

A Home Run Derby in Colorado at the height of the steroid era couldn’t be scripted any better. This is exactly what fans got in the 1998 Home Run Derby. An event headlined by a list of Hall of Fame talent, including Griffey Jr., McGwire, Alex Rodriguez, and Chipper Jones. The 98 Derby may be the mountaintop of Derby events.

This is why it should be no surprise that with all that talent, Jr. once again prevailed to be the king of swing. Griffey Jr. took home his second Derby championship in 98.

It has been quite some time since the Derby has been the spectacle that fans flock to. However, don’t think for a second that we all won’t be watching the 2023 edition. Baseball may be changing its rules to usher in a new era. But watching someone hit a ball more than 400 feet will always stand the test of time.

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MLBKen Griffey Jr.,mlb,Sammy Sosa