Home Run Derby (TV series)

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Home Run Derby was a 1959 television show held at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles pitting the top sluggers of Major League Baseball against each other in 9-inning home run contests. The rules were similar to modern home run derbies, with one notable exception. The show's rules were that if a batter did not swing at a pitch that was in the strike zone, that also constituted an out, although this rarely happened. Nine future Hall of Famers would eventually participate in the series.

Contents

[edit] Participants

[edit] Show rules

Batters were given three outs per inning, and the player with the most home runs after nine innings wins. The defending champion had the advantage of batting last, and the challenger thus would bat first. Any ball not hit for a home run is an out. The player does not have to swing at every pitch, but he did not swing at it, and the pitch was in the strike zone, that also constiuted an out, as well as a swing and a miss (but these rarely happened). If the players were tied after that time, the derby would go into extra innings as per regular baseball. While one player is taking their turn at bat, the other player would be at the host's booth and would have a brief conversation, typically about the contest itself or the player's performance for that season.

[edit] Prizes

The winner received $2,000 and was invited back for the next week's episode against a new opponent. The loser received $1,000. If a batter hit three home runs in a row, he would receive a $500 bonus. A fourth home run in a row would be worth another $500 bonus. Any consecutive home runs hit beyond that would each be worth $1,000. Also, as an incentive for throwing good home run hitting balls the pitcher who threw the most pitches for home runs also received a bonus according to the host.

[edit] Records

The show was also unique in that the host, actor Mark Scott [1], would often chat with each player while his opponent was batting. The intro theme of Home Run Derby was narrated by Harry Caray.

Hank Aaron held the record for most money won on Home Run Derby, winning $13,000. His run of 6 consecutive wins was ended by Wally Post, who was defeated in his next outing by Dick Stuart.

Only two hitters hit five or more home runs in a row: Willie Mays had six straight on one episode, while Jackie Jensen had five on another, a loss to Mickey Mantle.

Eddie Mathews was the only left-handed batter to compete. Switch-hitter Mantle batted right-handed in the contests; he hit his legendary 565-foot home run in 1953 against the Washington Senators at Griffith Stadium from the right side.

[edit] Trivia

  • Scott noted that Wrigley Field was chosen to host the event because its fences were symmetrical and favored neither right-handed or left-handed hitters. Then again, it was the only "true" baseball stadium in Los Angeles at the time, which was available for offseason tapings (the Los Angeles Dodgers played at the Memorial Coliseum in 1959).
  • Willie Mays, who was a champion later in the run (after losing in the initial contest to Mantle), joked with host Scott during his run that the host should be quiet while he batted and Scott took him up on it, whispering into the mic whenever Mays would step up to the plate.

[edit] Demise of show

Scott's straightforward play-by-play and interviewing style was described by ESPN's Chris Berman as "dry", but his style was also not very different from many of the announcers of that era. He died in 1960 from a heart attack, at the age of 45.

Once Scott died, the producers decided not to replace him and the show was cancelled. However, the show has been rerun occasionally since, in syndication, on Fox Sports Net, and on ESPN Classic. ESPN Classic last ran the program in 2003, and it has not been seen on U.S. television since. In later years, the intro, as well as some comments at the close of the show, were narrated by former Los Angeles Dodgers announcer Ross Porter.

[edit] 2000s revival

In 2003 and 2004, the Major League Baseball Players Association held similar contests at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The contests were held just before spring training, consisted of eight-man elimination tournaments, and were televised on ESPN. Jose Canseco won the first of the events. Low television ratings and an increased wariness toward home-run hitters resulting from suspected widespread use of steroids, from athletes like Canseco, led to the demise of the competition.

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