Chris Elliott
The Glory Years Of The MLB Home Run Derby
The 1998 Derby took place at Coors Field in Denver, and everyone knows the ball flies farther in the thin mountain air. It was the only Derby ever held at an altitude normally reserved for Boeing planes. Nobody could have expected the show that fans got thanks to the 53-homer first round that still ranks as the third most prodigious Derby round ever. McGwire had everyone picking up their jaws off the ground after he hit a 510ft bomb that people still talk about. The Marlins coach at the time, Rich Donnelly, pitched to three of the eight contestants, famously said on tv that “we had to call Budweiser and say, “Get that blimp up about 100 feet.” Griffey Jr. came out on top that year with a total of 19 home-runs and took the title.
The 1999 Home Run Derby was held at the historic Fenway Park in Boston and the stars picked up right where they left off the year before. Nine months after breaking the 70-homer barrier, “Big Mac” turned Fenway into his own personal Derby stage. In the first round, McGwire terrorized New Englanders with bomb after bomb that kept going farther and farther. He had a 488-foot mortar that soared beyond the Green Monster, cleared the street, soared over a parking garage and hit a billboard above the train tracks and was the highlight that night. Sosa was a contender until he had a meltdown that shocked everyone as he only put up one home run. It was another year that had Junior and McGwire trading shot after shot, while McGwire put on the show, Griffey Jr. took home the title.
Turner Field in Atlanta was a new stadium in 2000 and was the perfect place to host the Mid-Summer Classic. After a disappointing performance in ’99, “Slammin Sammy” Sosa came out and did his thing. He had been edged by Mark McGwire the last two years for the single-season home run record and major league lead. That night, he ended Ken Griffey Jr.’s two-year reign as Home Run Derby champion and took the title back to Chicago. The battle between the two stars was close through the final round, but Sammy broke away from Junior’s 11 home runs as he finished with 26. His final round performance had everyone in the stadium on their feet chanting “SOSA” as he blasted a pair of 508-foot shots that sealed the title.
