The Home Run Derby is considered one of the most popular events in sports, as sluggers compete to to see whose power stands above the rest.
The event began in 1985, when Dave Parker won it all with just six home runs total. Since then, the format has changed to allow more players to compete and more records to be set, creating thrilling contests across the board.
Over the past four decades, the Home Run Derby has featured many iconic moments and performances that withstand the test of time. Here's a look at the 13 most memorable displays in Home Run Derby history.
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13. Mark McGwire, 1999
The 1999 All-Star Game was an iconic event, as MLB closed out the millennium with a celebration at Fenway Park. For the All-Star Game, that included Mark McGwire setting a record for most home runs in a single round when he hit 13. While McGwire came in third overall, the first round was the highlight of the night.
This was the year after McGwire and Sammy Sosa competed in the single-season home run record chase in 1998, so the Cardinals first baseman was the most popular home run hitter in the game. McGwire went on to hit 65 home runs that year after he set the record with 70 a year before.
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12. Ryan Howard, 2006
Ryan Howard's 2006 victory doesn't stand out overall, as he beat David Wright with 23 home runs, but he had one particular iconic moment. To win the event, Howard walked it off by hitting the "Hit it Here" sign in Pittsburgh, a perfect way to end a victorious night.
The All Star Game was supposed to be this week. That’s definitely not happening. So here’s Ryan Howard winning the 2006 Home Run Derby pic.twitter.com/GGrsP41qwP
— Life of a Philly Fan (@PhillyFanLife) July 13, 2020
Howard's 2006 season was his best, as he hit 58 home runs while winning NL MVP at just 26 years-old for the Phillies. He followed that up with three more seasons of at least 40 homers, creating one of the most-impressive peaks for a home run hitter in the post-steroid era.
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11. Bryce Harper, 2018
In his final season as a National, Bryce Harper became the third player to win the Home Run Derby in his home ballpark with a dramatic comeback. Harper had his father pitching to him, and he beat his future teammate Kyle Schwarber in the final round on a walk-off.
Bryce Harper put on a show in his home park at last year's HR Derby 💪 pic.twitter.com/DqXco66fKO
— ESPN (@espn) July 8, 2019
Harper hit 34 home runs in 2018, marking his second-highest total as a National before leaving for the Phillies that offseason. However, Washington missed the playoffs that year, making this win the defining moment of Harper's final season with the organization.
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10. Sammy Sosa 2000/2002
Back when the Home Run Derby output was often in the teens, Sammy Sosa became the first player ever to hit 20 homers when he hit 26 in 2000 for the Cubs. That included 11 in the semifinals alone, which was only one less than the second-highest output of the night.
Two years later, Sosa put on another Derby show with five home runs over 500 feet, but he lost that event to Jason Giambi in the final round. He still holds the record for the two furthest homers hit in Derby history.
𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟐| 💣
— This Day in Chicago Sports (@ChiSportsDay) July 8, 2020
Sammy puts on a SHOW during the home run derby!
- 8 HRs over 480 ft.
- 5 HRs over 500 ft.
- Furthest HR 524 ft. pic.twitter.com/4Zj8TAzDuE
Sosa hit at least 50 home runs every year between 1998 and 2001, with 49 in 2002, but he hit over 60 homers in the three seasons in which he didn't win the Derby in that span.
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9. David Ortiz, 2010
Ortiz's 2010 Home Run Derby win was a slow burn, as he was only in third place after the first round. However, he hit a combined 24 home runs in the final two rounds to seal the deal over Hanley Ramirez, finally taking home the title after three losses prior.
David Ortiz wins the 2010 MLB Home Run Derby with a total of 32 HR, he faced Hanley Ramírez in the final round. #HRDerby pic.twitter.com/IuXBJ4e5Cj
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) July 10, 2023
At the time, Ortiz appeared to be nearing the end of his time in Boston, but he had a bounce-back 2010 season with 32 homers. It wasn't his stretch of 40-plus from 2004-2006, but Ortiz's career lasted for another six years after, which included ending his career with three-straight seasons hitting at least 35 homers.
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8. Robinson Cano, 2011
The 2011 Home Run Derby was a thrilling event, with Robinson Cano and Adrian Gonzalez battling for the title throughout. While Gonzalez beat Cano in the first round by one, Cano hit 12 homers in the next two rounds to surpass Gonzalez, who hit 11 each time. With his dad pitching, Cano ended the night with 32 homers and outlasted Gonzalez, who had 31.
Cano's 2011 season was just another in his incredibly consistent Yankees career, but he wasn't known as a true slugger, his 28 home runs were his second-highest total of his career up to that point. Cano would try to defend his title the following year, but he ended up failing to hit a single homer in that contest.
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7. Aaron Judge, 2017
In 2017, Aaron Judge took the league by storm, hitting 52 home runs, the most ever by a rookie, and winning AL Rookie of the Year. It was also the year when he made his first Home Run Derby appearance, hitting 47 home runs while hitting the most home runs in each round. That win seemed to be good enough for Judge, who has yet to make a second appearance in the event.
July 10, 2017: Rookie Aaron Judge wins the Home Run Derby in Miami with 47 total homers. pic.twitter.com/TpWRTNum0w
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) July 10, 2020
Judge slowed down in the second half, which may be why he chose not to compete in a Derby again since then, even when he was breaking records in 2022. Still, his incredible rookie season is cemented as one of the best in MLB history.
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6. Pete Alonso, 2021
Alonso won the Home Run Derby in 2019, but his 2021 performance at Coors Field to repeat as champion was his best in a stretch of five-straight appearances. The Mets slugger led each of the three rounds in homers and totaled 74 home runs overall, well above runner-up Trey Mancini's 58 in the contest.
7/12/2021 Pete Alonso defends his Home Run Derby title by launching 74 homers at Coors Field. Alonso becomes the fourth player to win multiple derbies and joins Ken Griffey Jr. and Yoenis Céspedes as the only players to win consecutive contests. pic.twitter.com/A6YEMnRjXH
— This Day in Mets History (@NYMhistory) July 12, 2024
While Alonso's 74 homers is not the most in Derby history, it is the most among Derby winners all-time. While Alonso didn't match his rookie-record 53 home runs from 2019, he still hit a quality 37 homers over the course of the 2021 season.
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5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2019
As a rookie, Guerrero Jr. became the youngest contestant in Home Run Derby history at just 20 years-old, and he put on a show in Cleveland. The Blue Jays star led the first round with a derby-record 29 homers, then hit another 40 homers in the second round to lead all contestants and advance to the final. However, while he hit 22 homers in the final to bring his total to 91, Guerrero Jr. fell to Pete Alonso in the last round.
29 homers in the first round for Vlad Guerrero Jr.
— ESPN (@espn) July 9, 2019
That's a #HRDerby record for a single round 💪 pic.twitter.com/hyN1jLp1Ub
Guerrero Jr. still holds the record for most homers in a single derby with those 91, despite his loss. This all came despite hitting just 15 home runs in 123 games as a rookie in 2019, as Guerrero wouldn't become a true slugger until he hit 48 homers in 2021.
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4. Bobby Abreu, 2005
During the 2005 Home Run Derby at Comerica Field, Abreu put on a dominant performacnce with 24 home runs in the first round and 41 overall, which set an all-time record. While his six homers in the second round were second to Ivan Rodriguez, he hit 11 in the final round to win by six, totaling 21 more home runs than Rodriguez did as the runner-up.
On this day in 2005, Bobby Abreu put on one of the best Home Run Derby performances ever. pic.twitter.com/vTJnMGYAq8
— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) July 11, 2023
Abreu was not known as a home-run hitter, as he hit over 30 just twice in his career and had just 15 in 2006. This would be his final notable moment after nine years with the Phillies, since Philadelphia traded him to the Yankees before July ended.
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3. Josh Hamilton, 2008
Hamilton has perhaps the most memorable Home Run Derby performance of all-time, when he hit 28 homers in the first round at Yankee Stadium in 2008, which was the record at the time for the most in a round in derby history. That included a stretch of 13-straight, electrifying the New York crowd in the final All-Star Game at the old Yankee Stadium.
Good luck beating this tonight, fellas. #HRDerby pic.twitter.com/8s506ntgWT
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) July 8, 2019
However, Hamilton is only third on this list because he lost the event to Justin Morneau in the end, despite hitting 13 more homers overall. Still, it was a memorable moment of Hamilton's incredible life comeback, hitting 32 homers in his first season as a Ranger while making his first of five-straight all-star games.
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2. Giancarlo Stanton, 2016
It was only a matter of time before Giancarlo Stanton won the Home Run Derby, as he dominated the 2016 event by hitting the most home runs in all three rounds and 61 overall. At the time, that set the record for most homers in a Derby ever before it was broken by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2019.
While Stanton was known as a home-run hitter, he hit just 27 that season and had 30 just twice leading up to that point. However, the home run derby foreshadowed the following season, as the Marlins slugger hit 59 homers in 2017 en route to his only MVP award.
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1. Ken Griffey Jr., 1993/1994/1998/1999
The undisputed king of the Home Run Derby, Griffey is the only player to win three different Home Run Derbies, doing so in 1994, 1998 and 1999. He also competed in eight total events, all coming between 1990 and 2000.
Amizingly, though, his most iconic moment came in a loss in 1993, when he hit the warehouse in Baltimore on a 460-foot homer.
July 12, 1993: Ken Griffey, Jr. is the first player to hit Baltimore's B&O Warehouse on the fly with a 460-foot shot during the Home Run Derby pic.twitter.com/uXeq4295Mx
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) July 12, 2020
As for his wins, his final victory at Fenway Park to overtake Mark McGwire is probably his best win of the three.
Before Monday's Home Run Derby, here's a look back at Ken Griffey Jr.'s epic battle with Mark McGwire in the 1999 contest at Fenway Park. pic.twitter.com/kzMrqsCv9m
— ESPN (@espn) July 13, 2018
Griffey hit 630 home runs during his career, which included 40-plus in six of seven seasons between 1993 and 2000 for the Mariners. His best season came in 1997, when he hit a career-high 56 homers and won his only MVP award.
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