Outside of the All-Star Game itself, the most popular night of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Break is the Home Run Derby. Fans who dig the long ball need not wait any longer.
Here’s everything you need to know before players start launching baseballs toward the Anacostia River tonight.
Date and time: Monday, July 16, 8 p.m.
Television: ESPN
Bracket:
No. 1 Jesus Aguilar (Brewers) vs. No. 8 Rhys Hoskins (Phillies)
No. 4 Alex Bregman (Astros) vs. No. 5 Kyle Schwarber (Cubs)
No. 2 Bryce Harper (Nationals) vs. No. 7 Freddie Freeman (Braves)
No. 3 Max Muncy (Dodgers) vs. No. 6 Javier Baez (Cubs)
Format: Each player has four minutes to hit as many home runs as possible, and whoever hits more in each head-to-head matchup advances. In the event of a tie, opponents will compete in a 60-second “swing-off,” and failing that, a best-of-three swing-off. The winner of Aguilar-Hoskins will face Bregman-Schwarber’s champ in one semifinal, and the winner of Harper-Freeman will take on Muncy or Baez.
Pre-game reading: Bryce Harper won’t have to worry about defensive shifts in Home Run Derby, by David Driver
Rivalry brewing: Harper and Freeman have been playfully trash talking since the bracket was announced, and their lockers this week are next to each other. Freeman claimed Monday, likely with his tongue in his cheek, that the Nationals Park crowd would be on his side tonight, and Harper answered, “Oh Freddie, he’s such a sandbagger.”
Trivia: Only two players have won the Home Run Derby inside their home stadiums: Ryne Sandberg at Wrigley Field in 1990 and Todd Frazier at Great American Ball Park in 2015.
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