Derby to feature
bracketed play
as part of new format
By Mark Newman / MLB.com
NEW YORK -- When the 20th annual Home Run Derby returns to Minnesota during All-Star Week on July 14 at Target Field at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN, it will break new ground. Major League Baseball on Monday announced a new format for the Derby, featuring 10 players who will get seven outs per round, with bracketed play after the first round.
Five players from each league will bat in the opening round, with seven outs instead of the previous 10. The player who hits the most homers in each league will automatically receive a bye to the third round (semifinals). The next two players from each league with the most homers will square off against one another in a head-to-head matchup in the second round.
The winners of these matchups will advance to the third round to compete against the league's top seed. The final round will feature the winners of the American and National League semifinals going head-to-head to determine the winner of the event, won last year at Citi Field by Yoenis Cespedes of the A's.
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