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Baseball fans on social media could unite over one thing Monday night: ESPN’s coverage of MLB Home Run Derby was dizzying, confusing and tough to watch.
The broadcast featured a split-screen format to show both the hitter (on the left) and where the baseballs they hit were landing (on the right), but fans took issue with the camera angles that were used.
“Split screen for home run derby is garbage,” one fan wrote on X. “We gotta go full screen to follow the ball like a real home run. You can’t see the ball launch on the split screen.”
Many viewers were specifically frustrated with the camera angle used for the right side of the split-screen, which would zoom into the sky to show the distance of each dinger.
“MLB and ESPN picked an atrocious split camera view for this home run derby,” posted another fan.
“It’s awful. Can’t even see where these balls are going. Takes the fun out of it.”
The derby has always been one of the tougher events to broadcast – given the sheer volume of fly balls being hit in a short span, and the multiple camera angles needed to capture all the action.
But fans reminisced over previous home run derby broadcasts that in their opinion captured the action better than this year’s event, which the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh won with 54 total bombs.
A video of Josh Hamilton’s legendary 28-homer first round in the 2008 derby at the old Yankee Stadium went viral, which showed the differences between that year’s broadcast and this year’s.
In ‘08, as with many of the following years’ broadcasts, there was no split screen, and the camera showed the hitter swinging before panning to display how far the ball traveled.
That was easier to pull off then, when the derby was structured around a set number of outs without the three-minute timer that is used now since the pressure is on the pitcher to feed the slugger chances in a timely fashion.
Still, fans are clamoring for some kind of adjustment for the future, with an overwhelming consensus that this year’s product was not good enough.
“Was waiting all day for the Home Run Derby and ESPN gave us the absolute worst view of all time,” another fan posted. “Ruining the event for viewers at home.”
