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Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani leads the National League in home runs, but last month, he touched on the reason why he wasn’t going to be present in Monday night’s Home Run Derby.
“With the current rules, it’s pretty difficult,” Ohtani said of the fast-paced swinging, “so for now, I don’t think there’s much of a chance.”
The two-way star recently spoke on tweaks that he would want to see in future Home Run Derbys to potentially get him to join.
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“That’s not for me to decide,” Ohtani said. “However, personally, I think there could be limits on the number of pitches, the number of swings, and a focus on flight distance.”
The Home Run Derby consists of “eight players [who] each have three minutes or 40 pitches (whichever comes first) to hit as many homers as possible,” with a bonus period of three outs (any non-home run swings) with an extra out if a home run of 425 feet or more is hit in said bonus period, per MLB.com.
This creates utter chaos, with players slugging within the time frame to reach a “knockout style” second round of the four best hitters, consisting of two minutes or 27 pitches, and the same format in the championship round.
Not only is the television broadcast somewhat confusing, as the players are launching home runs before the previous ball even lands, but specifically for Ohtani and his recoveries from a 2023 UCL surgery and a 2024 labrum surgery on his other arm, this format wouldn’t be worth the injury risk.
The previous Home Run Derby style relied on an outs system (any non-home run), and the pacing would be much better for the National League home run king.
Ohtani doesn’t seem to be alone in his desire for the Home Run Derby of old, but if a rule change does come about amid the public push, perhaps Ohtani will one day compete for yet another accolade to add to his MLB prowess.
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Photo Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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