But Frazier tied Pederson with 14 in his four minutes, with the Cincinnati crowd cheering loudly for each one, then in his 30 seconds of bonus time launched a home run to left field on his first swing to beat Pederson.
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The rules of the Home Run Derby were amended this year.
In the most dramatic Home Run Derby in my memory, the league changed up the format, creating a tournament bracket and timing each player’s attempt, rather than giving them a set number of outs. It seems to me that hitting last provides a real advantage, as the man going last knows exactly how many home runs he needs to win the round, so he can pace himself. Each hitter got four minutes to hit as many home runs as he could, and it worked out perfectly. And that was thanks in no small part to the victor, Cincinnati Reds slugger Todd Frazier, who dazzled the hometown crowd. Yes, it is a Home Run Derby and Great American Ballpark is a band box, but the power he has to all fields was impressive.
The seeding for the Derby was based on each a player’s homer run totals in the first half. But, given bonus time, Frazier connected with the first pitch that he saw for the Derby victor.
“I just kind of stuck my glove out there and felt it hit”, McKenzie told MetroNews Wednesday.
Major League Baseball officials are considering several parallel plans of shortening the derby or holding it on Tuesday afternoon if at all necessary. He said he would rather have it autographed by Frazier or trade him for something that would make a good memory for his sons.
FORMAT – With all of the uncertainty about the new Home Run Derby rules, from the running clock to the elimination bracket, the final product passed with flying colors, earning rave reviews.
Todd Frazier (Second seed) faced off against two-time derby champion Prince Fielder (Seventh seed) in the first round, a tough feat for any batter.
Frazier then rallied to eliminate Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson in the second round, per MLB.com.
Pederson started fast Monday and hit some of the longest home runs of the event. He called timeout to catch his breath after struggling to hit his first five homers.
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Next year’s All-Star Game is in San Diego, where there will likely be significantly less threat of inclement weather. “In my midswing, I was ‘Oh, I’m going up against Frazier.’ Good for him, he won and did an awesome job tonight”.
