How Does the Home Run Derby Work?

The Home Run Derby is an annual event held during Major League Baseball’s (MLB) All-Star break, showcasing the league’s top power hitters in a competition to hit the most home runs.

New Home Run Derby Rules for 2024

No More Head-to-Head Bracket in First Round

In 2024, the first round of the Home Run Derby is shaking things up. Forget about the head-to-head brackets from previous years. Now, all eight hitters will compete directly against each other. The top four hitters will move on to the semifinals. If there’s a tie after the first round and bonus period, the tie-breaker is the longest home run hit in the first round.

In the semifinals, the brackets come back. The matchups are 4 vs. 1 and 3 vs. 2, based on how many home runs they hit in the first round. If there’s a tie in the semifinals or finals, they’ll have a 60-second swing-off. If it’s still tied, they’ll go into three-swing “swing-offs” until someone wins.

Cap on Number of Pitches per Round

MLB is sticking with the timed format but adding a twist: a limit on pitches. In the first and semifinal rounds, hitters get three minutes and can see up to 40 pitches, with one 45-second timeout. For the final round, it’s two minutes and up to 27 pitches, again with one 45-second timeout. The same bonus rules and tiebreakers as last year still apply.

No Timer for Bonus Period

This year’s bonus period has no timer. Instead, hitters get three outs. If a hitter smashes a home run 425 feet or longer during the bonus, they earn an extra out. This change means hitters can take their time and not rush against the clock, potentially hitting more home runs and making the game more exciting.

What’s Staying the Same

The timed format from 2015 is still in play, with three minutes for the first and semifinal rounds and two minutes for the final. Bonus periods and one timeout per round remain. The head-to-head bracket starts in the semifinals. The tiebreaker rules from last year for the semifinals and finals are also unchanged.