2025 MLB Home Run Derby (Cal Raleigh takes home the trophy in Atlanta!) 🍑💪
to Jeff Pass who joins us now with the big thumper. Not just the big dumper, Carl, but Cal Raleigh, his father, Todd Raleigh, the pitcher tonight, and T. Raleigh, his 15year-old brother who’s going to be behind the plate catching. Cal, how great is it to have a family affair like this for your first derby? Yeah, I mean, it’s awesome. It’s going to be great. You know, he’s thrown a billion balls to me in my lifetime, so he knows where I like it. And I got my little brother catching behind me. So, it’ll be a great night regardless of what happens. Todd, you have thrown those billion balls. Has there ever been more pressure on batting practice session than tonight? Uh, no. I don’t think so. This has got to be the ultimate, right? So, kind of like going that free throw line with no time left, down one, and they clear it out. So, but it’s all good. I’m just enjoying the experience. Carl Todd Raleigh is ready to sink that free throw. Back to you. Yes, they’re athletes, man. All over the field and a billion baseballs have been thrown. Look forward to seeing Cal Raleigh take to the shell when he will go in this home run derby. Anxiety is rising. We are just a couple of minutes away from the start. Our first round batting order. Guys advantage for the guys that are going 5 6 7 8. They know what the number is that they have to post. Yeah. But there’s a lot of pressure also on those guys knowing the number. And one could say James Wood has the advantage. He just has to go out there. But at the same time, Todd, and you’ve been in this situation, is he able to breathe right now? Because he is a serious cat right now. He is a big cat, too. This guy, I didn’t know how big he was till I got up close and personal. Again, put up a big number, get in the 20s, and then you can start talking once they get closer to the next round. All right, let’s go over the rules one more time as we get set to begin this 2025 T-Mobile Home Run Derby. You got e- heaters in the first round. Four of them will advance. And the semi-final bracket will be a bracket style four versus one as the total homers are taken into consideration. Three versus two. Three minute round 40 pitches, one timeout, semifinal and final rounds. It’s shorter. It’s 2 minutes 27 pitches. And the ties will be resolved with a successive three swing swingoffs. [Music] And we are just about set to get it started. And a big way to start it. James Wood of the National steps in. He is 6’7 in tall, 234 lbs in his first derby. [Applause] He hits it hard is what he’s done throughout this first season. And that one looks like it’s the first one that’s going to leave the yard. And it goes to right. [Applause] That one’s going to go foul right there. But the one thing with James Wood is because he has so much power the other way, he is trying now to change a little bit of his swing that he’s had during the regular season and trying to lift and do that. Coming to the chop house and it looked to be out of the yard. This some easy pop right now too. He’s not overexerting himself. Got to get underneath it just a little bit more. James Wood has eight homers this year of 430 ft. And there’s another one over the chop house. The eight at 430 boys tied for third in baseball. Two behind Suarez, one behind Schwarber. Tied with Judge. That’s the company that Wood keeps. Oh, there’s that opposite field, too. Watch this one. Look at that go. And that’s a strength. During the regular season, you if you allow him to extend those arms, he will go the opposite field. He calls timeouts. His second homer traveled 486. And that last one went over the wall. He went to IMG Academy. His favorite player of all time retired when he was just 5 years old. He said, “When I first picked up a bat, I wanted a hit like Barry Bonds.” And Wood’s got six right now with a minute 27 to go and wound one. And Carl, what a privilege is it to have a guy this tall, this athletic, choose baseball over if it’s basketball or football. His dad was a phenomenal basketball player at the University of Richmond. And when he first went to IMG, they were all wondering, is he going to be a basketball player? And of course, he chose this sport. And he is just hitting tanks. It’s easier for him, believe it or not, to go straightaway central than to try to pull without without a doubt. That’s his swing path. We talked about it the whole time. Oh my. I lost it. Oh, another one over the park. It’s It’s raw power. It’s 97th percentile barrel rate. That’s hard hit rate as well. Oh boy. Here comes the groove. That’s two in a row right there. His last name actually fits the billing right here, doesn’t it? Oh boy. That’s three. [Applause] So easy to just go with good wood when James Wood is sending it. It’s been great so far tonight. That one got over the wall. He’s He’s in a rhythm right now. He’s in a rhythm. That ball’s going to go. That’s his strength right there. Oh, [Applause] [Music] that will do it. That’s a great first effort for James Wood. The 48 foot6 ft homer was longer than any homer hit last year in the derby. Any one of them. Yeah, he’s he’s like a silent assassin on that at that plate. Bat is level. It’s through. Watch that hand, that foot get down and then he fires. Recognizes where it is. Down and in. The power of a left-handed hitter. James Wood getting the bad head. Keeping it fair. It took him a while to understand what he had to do. And once he was able to calm the nerves down, that’s what we saw. And those are the reactions we’re going to see all night long. You see the people in the building over the wall there were eyes wide open. The ball really just came this far. 486. That’s incredible. Well, behind that chop house is a wide open area with a little mini baseball field. I got to believe like back in 99 at Fenway Park where they were waiting for balls to be hit over the left field wall. There are some folks out there who now know we can get a baseball tonight. And that is a monster shot for the Nationals Wood. Who now has three outs left in his bonus round. He’s trying to join Bryce Harper and Juan Sodto as the former Nationals to win a home run derby. And Wood was actually part of the deal that sent Sodto from Washington to San Diego and Wood to DC. So, two outs left in this bonus round. That one’s not going to go. Trying to add to this total of 14 to set the bar. keeps going. That one’s going to knock down a chop house. [Applause] Well, a moonshot here that doesn’t look like it’s going to be far enough, but because of the 486, he will have another opportunity. Oh boy. That was That one could go. That one will go. Oh. Oh, what a catch. Just think about this, Todd. 67 frame, eight home runs already this year over 430 ft. Eight already. Just power. Well done. Well done for James Wood. They said when he was like 12, he did some home run derbies and the prices were like a bat. So, it’s a little different now. Not only do you get the chain, you get a million dollars. He’s not making a million dollars yet. Not yet. Tell you what, that sets the bar. 16. You don’t know what kind of home run derby it’s going to be, but absolutely incredible display how far that ball went. Yeah, James Wood is the real deal. Next up is Brent Rooker of the Athletics. One other note on what we just saw from Wood. Guys that have hit homers in a derby over 486 ft. It’s not a long list. Judge Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Seno Vlatty Jr., and now James Wood joins that list. Great notes provided all night long from our good friend Sarah Langs, who is sitting right here alongside. [Applause] Hey, and guys, Brent Rooker has openly talked a lot about how when he first became an all-star in 2023, he didn’t feel like he belonged there. he didn’t feel like he’d ever come back to the All-Star game. Now that he’s back, he finally feels like he belongs. And he told me that that’s a recognition not just of the work and the production he’s put into this moment, but the amount of work he’s put on the mental side to finally have confidence that he truly is an all-star. Well, I don’t know, Alden, but a three right out of the gate, including an absolute missile. Now four in his first five swings, I’d say he’s in a pretty good spot. And it’s simple. It’s controlled. He stays back. Not a no leg kick. Bat to ball. That’s it. Hands are staying in one position, too. He’s not trying to caress and go back too far. Easy pop. Some of these are getting just over the wall, which is ideal cuz it means you can get the next pitch thrown. And Joe Caruso is laying them in there. He’s been throwing pitches to Rooker since he was nine through high school when he grew up in Memphis. He’s allowing it to get a little deep. He needs to catch it out in front. Dead central on that one. Doesn’t go. See those balls hit down the left field line. They’re going to go. Short fence, too, as well. All you got to do is touch it down there. Yeah, that one’s gone as well. And the left field fence is 10 ft further away than the right field wall here at Truith. But my goodness, what a start for Brent Rooker. He’s chasing 16 set by Wood. He’s got a timeout T. He’s down to a minute 23. Trying to get one more here before he calls it. And here it is. He calls timeout. This was a guy to Alden’s point. The A’s cleaned off waiverss in 2023. He was contemplating taking he and his family to Japan. But since the start of that season, his first with the A’s, his 89 homers, our ninth most in the majors over that stretch. [Applause] That’ll go. That’s where he’s got to live down the left field line there from that 375 over when he gets out in front. And the interesting part, the first three pitches he saw, he was able to hit way out in front, keep it fair because his swing path, you haven’t seen any foul balls on the full side. No. Wendy is is he feeling it now? Right. You get a timeout. But guess what? Right away. Still there. You reminded of it. Remember, you only get 40 baseballs, too. If you max out at 40, you got to swing at everything. Yeah. Watch that one. Tough to go to dead center when you’re not winding up too much to go back to come forward. That’s his happy zone though. Left center field so far and just a few have gotten over. There’s another one that climbs to row five. Still really good pace. Five pitches to go. 14 homers with a bonus round still to come. And it’s not only fatigue for him. I believe it’s fatigue for Caruso as well right now. He’s in a really good spot to catch James Wood. And that’s it. He’s out of balls. [Music] And you talk about a simplified swing for Ricker. Those hands do not move. And early on he was catching everything out there out in front and that was what was creating the consistency. See how much ahead of the plate he was being able to hit the ball. Todd, you see his top hand coming off the bat too a little bit. It’s a little sweaty, but again, you to your point, you have to get out in front of the baseball in these home run derbies to find a way and hit it to the shorter part of the park. He did that for the most part, but when he got stuck, you saw a lot more pop-ups and not much power. Again, 14, that’s right there where he needs to be. This this round here is going to be huge for him. So, he’s looking to hit one at least 425 ft, which will get him an additional out. And you can see on the upper left the three ping squares followed by the one that’s he’s got to check that box by hitting 1425. And I think it’s important for him to take the first pitch so he can see the difference between the regular baseball and the ball that has a magenta T-Mobile color in it. He’s done a college home run derby in Omaha and he had good success there. And this is the dude that’s used to coming off the bench to swat homers. He’s a DH. Yeah, definitely. He’s ready to hit at all times. This is a big round for him, too, to kind of step away from the competition. Oh, he swung at the first one. Told you the first one is key. [Applause] It’s just a little different on the eyes. Oh, that is mashed. He got it. Quick through quick hands through the zone on that one. See, I like this. There’s no clock now. Take your time. You got 15. And that one did travel more than 425. Then you’ll see that box just lit up. He needs one to tie wood underneath that one. Yeah. Collapsed the backside. Committed to the pitch before he realized he should have taken it. He’s a prolific home run hitter. He’s seventh in home runs across all batters since the start of last year with 59. Only Raleigh that’s in this field has more at 72. We got a lot of kids in this derby this year. Great chance to introduce America to some of these smaller market players. And that is hammered. Rooker has now tied wood and he’s got two outs to play with. This was a sleeper. That’s going to go. That is going to go. Oh yeah. [Applause] He moves past James Wood. 17 homers. Not fair. And the best part about this is nothing is windated. Everything plays even in this ballpark. 335 down the line. No wind at all. He’s catching his breath, too. I like this round. and you get to breathe a little bit and figure out whatever you want to swing at. You don’t know what that feels like, do you? That’s too much. You did just the opposite. That’s Come on, get up there. Oh, very good round for Brent Rooker. He now moves ahead of James Wood. And the family is loving the machine that Rooker was. He put on a show for the 42,000 plus here at Truis Park. There you go, Eddie. Take the first red one. He said, “Take the first red one.” Hard to see. Junior Camro of the Tampa Bay Rays. Already two really impressive shows, both Wood and Rooker, but now the number is 17. Eddie, you’ve been talking about this guy a lot. You’ve talked about what he does overseas and how hard he hits the ball. Looks like he’s smooth right now. I haven’t I was waiting for him to come out of his shoes first pitch. And that’s what you’re going to see. It’s controlled. It’s consistent. He hunts the pitch out front and it’s pull power. He looks like he’s got a bigger bat, too. One of the guys that went for length and went for durability here. It really does. And again, the flattest swing out of all the competitors during the regular season is Junior Camero. He’s finding his zone trying to get that ball fair after the first few were hooked down the line. Foul. He’s got a couple of homers. There’s another big big smash. And he’s a rhythm guy. Once he starts finding that rhythm, he’s going to go into maybe a four or five consecutive home run streak. That’s perfect right there. Stay right in that position. Yep. Be out in front. [Applause] He replaced Bregman. Jose Ramirez then checked out. So, it afforded him the opportunity to start in the All-Star game and show up and show off in the home run derby. No. Is he doing that now? He’s finding it now. That’s going to go foul right there. But I’m okay with that because you can That’s a timing thing. But he is hunting everything from our angle out front. [Applause] Man, is that easy, too. Oh goodness. Live right there. It’s quick bat speed. It’s elite bat speed. Time out for junior Cammonero who believes his bouting practice pitcher is the best anywhere. Look, the one thing that I can say about this young talent, keep an eye. Plays for Tampa Bay. For all of those that do not follow the Rays, he is the real deal. In the off season, played for Escoilo in the Dominican Republic. his manager, Albert Poolholes. He learned a lot about tough pressure situations. [Applause] He’s got time here. 13 more baseballs to be thrown. So, he has plenty of time here. Oh, boy. When he hits it, man, they just rise like a jet fighter off of a cruise ship. Missiles. Whoa. If you look at a guy that is built for fast rapid fire home run derby swing, it’s him. No doubt about it. There it goes. The Guardians still ru the day that they dealt him. As Chris Anthony said, it’s a bad trade. The guy they got didn’t end up achieving what they thought. They’re desperate for offense. Junior Camro would look pretty good somewhere in a Guardian uniform right now. Got four baseball. Sorry, Guardians fans. There it goes. Is that going to go? Oh, yeah. He’s at 17 and now he is at 18. One pitch left. Not high enough. But the new leader in the clubhouse is Junior Camero. Take a breath, big fella. Junior just went jump man on us, huh? Oh, he’s tired, too. Look at my man. Hey, when you do your first one, you got to understand, you got to find your breath. These swings have been absolutely amazing. Look at the eyes to the baseball. Swing path is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful swing. This guy is going to be doing it here. Guy to beat today. Yeah. Follow the Dominican belt that he has on right there. Hitting the ball out in front. Keeping that head down, not seeing it before he hits it out. Beautifully done, Carl. He reminds me a lot of that guy that’s not a big guy playing golf, but he hits it the farthest because he catches everything out in front. The loft is real and it’s true. There’s a lot of those guys on the PGA Tour. Hey guys, right before Junior Camero came up to bat, Brent Rooker had some advice and it was take the first bonus ball. It’s obviously a different ball. It’s hard to pick up this time of day. Take the first bonus ball. Yeah, I think he was eavesdropping cuz Eduardo had said the same thing just before Rooker. Hey, if I’m Rooker man trying to win this thing, I’m like, “Hey, swing at the first round.” I know, right? Swing at that thing. You see it? Good. No, but coexist. I love the game. I love the gamesmanship. I love it. Good for him. But I like the way you’re thinking. Yeah. Guys talked about the Dominican and Albert Puhos, etc. He made headlines this past off season for Esco GO in the Dominican Winter League. He hit a home run at 454 ft in the top of the ninth inning of game seven the championship series. You talk about an electric celebration. It took him 4 minutes and 54 seconds to get ac around the bases too with that celebration. It took him two and a half minutes to get to first base. Eight hugs, 25 high fives, and then he finally got there. He oversw. And because it’s now it’s a controlled heat, he paced himself, took a step back, and Francisco did as well. He told him, “Calm down a little bit on it.” Where’s he feeling it most? Where do the hitters feel it the most? In your breath right now. When the second round, it’s going to be the legs and then the hands start to go. So, he’s just feeling downright exhausted. That’s all it is. All right. Well, he needs to hit one 425 ft to get the bonus. If he makes an out on this one, his round will end with 18. Oh, there it is. He’s got the bonus. Yes, he does. Oh my. Second deck smash. 475 ft. Big moments for Camo. Wow. He put a little extra on that one, too. But he was under control, not like the first one, as you talked about. So, he bought the extra out and now has two to play with. [Applause] He’s got 20. The new high water mark in our third hitter. Watch his shoulders. He’ll take a deep breath and just relax them. crowd here at Truis getting behind Junior Camero. And is it high enough? It is. That’s exactly what he said. He ged out, but you want to be out in front. That’s the thing. And his timing was just right there. And remember earlier he was pulling those foul. [Applause] 21 in a round for Junior Camro of the Tampa Bay Rays. We’ve had 16 17 21. What’s next? Well, it’s a controlled swing, but watch how out front he goes and gets it. Long stride, puts that foot down. Yeah. And then hits it right on the barrel, not cutting his swing at all. It’s absolutely beautiful. And then when you finish, you let go. Poetry at the end there. Show it off to the fans. I love that. Finish high TV finish. Beautiful. 475 ft. the longest home run that he hit and an amazing moment for junior Cameron Arrow and his first home run derby on the biggest stage. Time now to check in with our Statcast edition of tonight’s broadcast over on ESPN 2. It’s powered by Google Cloud, the official AI partner of Major League Baseball. Yeah, this is right here. It’s it’s beautiful. That tells you exactly the trajectory of every baseball. The 450T shot was impressive. And once he started getting on a roll, you can tell it was just throw that bat head, Todd. Beautifully done. Give credit to the pitching coach too as well. I mean, once you’re throwing in a groove, you didn’t throw many balls. He went out there, Tomas Francisco. He did absolutely what he was supposed to do. Ah, time to welcome O’Neal Cruz. All 6’7″, 240 lbs of Pittsburgh Pirate, one of the favorites to win this whole thing. as they adjust the screen out there and get set. He’s 26 years old. James Wood is 22. Camero is 22. And all three of the guys now that we have seen are all making between $750 and $800,000 this year. The winner of this thing gets a million dollar. And a nice chain, too. I like the chain. That’s pretty sweet. Bruce said, “I like to hit balls far, so I think I’m going to enjoy the home run derby a lot.” Well, he swings at the first one and hits a cloud out there and it’s heading towards right and it is gone. And so is the next one. Okay. Oh boy. Welcome to the Derby, O’Neal Cruz. Wow. He got everyone up here. Got the boys up over here on the right side. Okay. The thing is the bat looks like a toothpick in his hands. That’s how big he is. Everybody that is on the first base side, all the players are standing up, including his teammate Paul Skins. He now has the longest home run hit in this derby. 488 ft. Todd, how about this? He’s the seventh pirate to ever participate in this event. No pirate has ever passed the first round. Here we go. And he knows it too. And it’s Steven Morales used to be a catcher. So that BP is money. Incoming and outgoing. Short armed trying to just throw it down the middle of the plate. So his dad, Raphael Cruz, brought his son home from the hospital in the Dominican and said, “I’m going to name him after his favorite player. Paul O’Neal was his dad’s favorite player.” Thus, O’Neal Cruz and they finally got a chance to meet each other. Paul O’Neal and O’Neal Cruz via FaceTime. I used to see Paul snap when he was in Cincinnati before going to the Yankees. Watch this. This is controlled violence right here. Soon as he puts that foot down, bat head in the zone just quick. It looks like a light bat in his hands. It looks like It does. And again, he hits the line drive homers. And this ball right here. My god. That’s not a That’s not a pop fly. That’s a line drive about to hit the hotel out there in right field. Look at SK. Oh yeah. It’s the quickest bat speed in all of Major League Baseball. 78.2 mph. and he’s hit a ball 122 mph. No one’s ever hit a ball harder in the Statcast era. Nobody. Six out of the 10 hardest balls hit this year. Yeah, that man right there holding that bat. It’s a short powerful swing. Plays everywhere. Mark Jackson. That’s a bad man right there. That’s a bad man that asked for a timeout with 140 left. I’m curious to see what happens when there’s 30 seconds left on the clock. Mean he might be tired. Yes, you’ll he’ll feel the fatigue because he’ll feel the pressure as well. 20 pitches. He probably didn’t either. Look at this one. Needs to get on a roll. Right center went out. They’ve been the most impressive homers, but there’s only eight on the board. There’s nine. I told you it’s O’Neal Cruz might not win it, but he will put on a fabulous show. Yeah. And I said we’d have a 500 ft homer. We have one. That one that went out to right center was 513 ft. You should get three outs extra for that. [Applause] Oh, that one is out of the building. In order for him to pass to the next round, he’s out of these balls though. Yeah, he’s killing them now, though. Yeah, he’s going to have to hit at least seven of these out. That’s pressure underneath right now trying to lift him. Yeah, a little tired, a little fatigued. You can see him moving his hips. There it goes, though. Good deep breath. He’s working fine. Well, remember he he’s got to get to 16 to get out of last place. There’s another bomb. He’s got five pitches allegedly left. There goes another one. Goodness, there’s another. Woo! There’s the show that people have been waiting for from O’Neal Cruz. One last one. Oh, he gave up on it, too. He got him fired out. What a round. Wow. O’Neal Cruz. As memorable a round as we’ve seen in a long time. Those were bombs. 513, 475, 480. Woohoo! We got to see this swing once again. Oh my. This is what got all the boys over here on the right side up. Look at the path of that baseball. Short and sweet. You You usually think of a bigger guy getting long and he’s holding both hands on the bat the entire time. It’s pure bat speed. It’s pure power. It’s leverage. And right now he’s got a lot of people around him. He sure does. Give me some space. He’s got the entire Dominican Republic that’s here in the stadium right there with him. And Paul SK as well. Look at Auna Jr. who knows what that is when you hit a ball that far in this building. I’m him. I don’t take one. I might take two pitches just to catch his breath in between every single one. Two, three. You could take four. Take all you want right now. I love How about all the advice? Junior Cameron Arrow’s out there giving him some advice. Leave me alone. Let me just get in the box. Let’s go. And I was having a conversation with Ellie De Cruz. He’s like, I really want want to do this as well. This is so much fun. So, how about this? Isaiah Ker Falfa played with Stanton and Judge and he said about about O’Neal Cruz quick twitch and missileike exit vos with Stanton athleticism to judge. If he maximizes his potential, he’ll be one of the best players ever. again maximizing that potential, getting after it, doing the little things. He’s got it in him. It’s a matter of what he wants to do with it. You know what I mean, Eddie? Absolutely. I mean, just think about it. He got to the big leagues as a shortstop. Tell me that he’s not athletic for that size. Last team I play with with the Pirates, we’re in that short field at University of Pittsburgh during co. He was hitting them in the woods and I’m telling you right now, it was a beautiful thing. You saw the potential. [Applause] All [Music] [Applause] right, here we go with Da Cruz who needs three to try Camro’s number of swing the first one. Camo probably told him swing at the first one. [Applause] I Oh, yes. 19. We got a wall in front of us here on our set. So you have Ellie Dea Cruz, Paul Skins, and Fernando Tatis Jr. You can’t see over the wall. No, no. Just listen for the noise. That’s all like that. Oh boy. The noise will tell you. Always. Dusty Baker always said, “I hear him. I hear him over there. I can’t see him, but I hear him.” One more to tie the first place number of Camro. [Applause] Oh goodness. Right down the line. You see the foul pole? Get out of the way. See the foul pole. Get out of the way. Look at Look at Stevie. Stevie, get out of the way. Yes, it was. Well, that may bring rain here, but he is now checked off the bonus. So, two outs to play with. a homer to move into first place. Not there. He is a pull home run hitter. 13 of his 16 have been to the right of center field. Exit velocity, barrel rate, all the metrics off the charts. No. So, we have a tie at the top. But man, was that impressive. We thought at the 140 mark he was going to need a big round after the timeout. He put on a big round. Okay, so no pirate has ever passed the first round. How about this? He hits 21. Think about pirate 21. Look at you. Look at you. I like what you did there, Eduardo. Your inner Roberto Clemente for us. He’s got a crew out there, man. Holy cow. He better go back inside and chill out for a little bit. That’s the cruise crew. That is the cruise crew. And there were a bunch. There were cruise missiles in there, but there were some highf fly bombs. Think about 513 ft. So right there, right there, Vlatty Jr. just told him, you don’t have to swing as hard. You don’t have to swing as hard. You were taking a lot of swings in that last round. Another advice from Vlatty Jr. is a big guy. Look at O’Neal. He looks ahead. Alden, you really look short. [Applause] [Music] I’m here with O’Neal Cruz. O’Neal, your first home run derby. You hit about 513 ft. How did that feel to premed derby performance? [Music] I felt really good. It’s what everybody loves to do. I love taking BP and that’s how I treated this O’Neal. A lot of people are picking you to win this derby. What do you think? [Music] [Applause] Yeah, I feel really good. There’s a lot of people supporting me. They know what I could do. They know how strong I am. And hitting BP, that’s when my power really can show. O’Neal, thank you so much, Carl. Thank you, Alvin. Eddie, you got to guess quickly. I do. Ellie de la Cruz. Ellie, what did you say to him when you were out there? No, you say, uh, don’t touch this one too hard and take it easy. Breathe. You You had to breathe, but you got it. You got so much more power. You just try to touch. Are you ever going to do this? I I would like to do it at some point. Not now, but some point I would like to do. Let’s go. Let’s get it. Adam, baby, baby. I think I can win this. No doubt. To Ellie Dea Cruz. Related in in size for sure. Like to see him do a home run derby, but the show that was just put on by O’Neal Cruz was incredible. light tower power and a smile that lights up truest park. He is enjoying He’s enjoying every moment of these festivities. Taking it all in out of Baxley, Georgia. Population 4500. About a 100 miles southwest of Savannah, Georgia. 30 minute drive from the middle of pretty much nowhere. But boy did he make a name for himself. Hey, you’ll notice guys, Tommy Watkins, the third base coach for the Minnesota Twins, throws a pretty firm batting practice here. That’s exactly what Byron Buckton said he wanted. Said he doesn’t want to swing as hard. When he swings hard, he pops the ball up. Kind of like that one right there. He just wants to backspin it and let the natural power do its thing like he did on that one. Yeah, he’s looking for his first and he just got his first and now maybe he starts to elevate and get on a little bit of a run. They’re high, too. These are the highest ones we’ve seen with carry two as well. That’s three in a row. Started playing ball when he was six and he played multiple sports for many years. Started giving up basketball as a high school sophomore. In football, he was a quarterback, a wide receiver. He was a kicker. And it’s interesting his approach almost pigeon toed with that left foot. points it mostly at the catcher and then he just opens it up. It’s not like it really much of a stride. Yeah, it feel like it would be awkward. Trying to keep that hip in and right when he flares it open that back leg, all the pressure on the inner thigh. That might go as well. Everything is light tower. He’s got some hang time, huh? Oh my god. It’s got six, seven seconds of hang time and they’re all going. Forget about the line drives out. He’s going up a room. Can’t shake the high school kicker in them. Very grounded, very much a family man. His dad was a truck driver. His mom runs her own daycare. Older brother’s an engineer in the Navy. He loves this event and he loves being home. But the story about this guy right here is his health. As his manager, Roco Baldelli said, there was the foggy place that he was in for a long time. He was a game time decision most days. And he worked really hard with a trainer to get that knee back in shape. And this year, he is healthy and as a result happy and playing a lot more often. Yeah. And that’s the biggest thing, health for him. But right now he’s got to get a little more lift in here and get those hips going. There it goes. Threw the bat at that one and it ended up going midway up the left field. Bleachers needs that one to stay up and it will. Well, here he comes. Oh, he’s in a rhythm right now. But with 43 seconds left. Oh, he took that pitch. You see the facial expression? I should have swung at it. [Applause] This whole derby for him was about his son Brrics who said, “Dad, I don’t know how many more years we can do this. I want to bring you the towel and the Gatorade. Let’s go.” And they did. Oh my. Oh yes. Yep. No, just to the base of the wall. one prior to that. Then left field to the first row. That’s going to go way deeper than the first row. That swing right here and left five pitches on the table. It was a tight rope for a while. Like it wasn’t much fun. Now it’s a lot of fun. That’s what kids do, right? They remind you of the good times when you just can go to the backyard and just play the game. Not have to work it, just play it. Now remember the top four advance and he needs to pass Wood who’s sitting there at 16. I have a feeling he was taking all the way on that first pitch and then now he can just zero in. Got to get something you like here too. No clock just three outs in this round and a sky high drive to left center field that is over the wall. Got to get past that 17 to have a good look here. Three guys left and he’s made for this, not for the clock. Yes, it’s just a different breed. He has to take his time. James Wood has been eliminated. Laser shot. A Buckton bomb here at Truist. Boston. Oh. [Applause] The bonus has been earned. He still has three outs to go. Trying to get to 21 to match O’Neal Cruz and Junior Camro. Yeah, the clock is off. You can calm the waters a little bit. Oh, he turned the hips. See the hips? Did you see the hips go there? That was it. That’s that extra bonus right there. He had He wasn’t doing that at all earlier on. Oh, yes. Oh, nearly the same spot. Halfway up the left field bleacher. And once you get to 20, the crowd gets into it. [Applause] Still two outs to play with for the great Minnesota Twin Superstar. All right, now one out. It’s a big one. Yeah, you’ve got to get to 21. This is a big one here. And Cruz Jr. is technically in first place because it would be by the distance. He’s got the 500 ft homer. That’s a good take right there. Zero in on one pitch. Ah, he got out in front of it. And now it’s a wait and see game for Byron Buckton who moves into third place. The top four will advance. Come on. Thank you. And again pointing more at the catcher that left leg just straight through quick hands. He’s always had those. The difference he’s got his legs now puts that foot down immediately and not like others. It’s light tower power. It is. And you see it now. A lot of guys are holding the bat with two hands. We talked about I wanted to get that extension and stay high and let it fly. But when you got power like that and your hips are moving in the right direction and you’re letting your hands work, Ravi, such a beautiful thing. It is a beautiful thing. So is the relationship he has with Tommy Watkins who was pitching to him. They’ve been together since 2013. He has seen his batting practice. The balls were right where he wanted them and he delivered a 20 spot. Ready to play some Jazz. Jazz Chisum Jr. of the Yankees become a home run guy. All right, Mooney. And that relationship is a special one between the manager and the player. It he’s going to have to do it differently. It’s not with distance, it’s with quantity and it’s quick. It has to be early and often for Jazz. [Applause] Doesn’t have the same amount of power. Listen, he just coming off injury, too. So, that’s going to be a tough one to see. Now, I’m just not sure he wants to take as many pitches as he’s taken. I got 19 all day. And now we’re going. Hold on. Hold on. Join join the party here. Chris Sale with us as well. Yeah, we’re we’re breaking him down. As a matter of fact, let’s put you on this one so you can hear us. All right. Headset for Chris Sale. Yeah, it’s Yeah. Well, I got a teammate in it. I have a former teammate on the panel. I figured I could get it in the mix, you know. Well, we’re we’re grateful. This is just for somebody that knows this ballpark. Some of the O’Neal cruise shots, do you have a way to describe those? Bombs. Bombs. Uh you when you get on the roof Yeah. And that’s that’s when it starts getting kind of outlandish. And how about this one? That one might get on the roof. That one might get up there. Yep. I’ve I’ve given up a couple that might have busted out some windows. I’m going to say they do that. It’s time for you to retire. That time to go. It’s that’s a different animal getting up top, though. We we we’ve had a couple uh Olsson bombs up there. So, yeah. Um Yeah, that’s Those are They’re fun when you’re not giving them up or your teammates, right? No, I I love homers except for when my team is is doing it. So, I would think this is kind of a bumpy night for pitchers when you just see these monsters up there doing damage like this. I So, I I would disagree because I think all pitchers still think they can hit. So, I uh you know I I’ve I’ve always loved the the home run derby, you know, as a kid uh you know, watching it with my dad and stuff like that. So, this is this is still just a really entertaining event. How cool is it that you know you go back to your clubhouse and now you’re seeing a lot of all star in there. Pretty cool, isn’t it? Yeah. Different faces. Well, and just, you know, be being an all-star in and of itself is, you know, could potentially be a once in a-lifetime opportunity. And being able to have it at your home ballpark is is is even more special. So, it’s it’s it’s it’s a lot of fun. Talk to us about that chain you got going on right there. Is that for you or for the winner? What do you got, baby? So, um, you know, this is this is a little You love bling. I know that. So, you It’s a It’s a little above my style, we’ll say. Um, but no, so Aussie Aussie Alb’s has a guy um, you know, I I don’t know his name. I can’t I can’t give any right now, but Aussie had a guy that that sent this, uh, for our home run celebration, and we and we use it for our postgame ceremony after a win, player of the game type of stuff. So, I figured I wore uh Ozuna’s chain last year and, you know, I’m comfortable being uncomfortable, so I I figured I’ I’d do it again this year. First lesson in broadcasting and anything, be comfortable being uncomfortable. Exactly. You know, so this is a show as much as it’s anything. So, you know, the other part of seeing somebody like Chisum up here and we’ve seen O’Neal Cruz and we’ve seen Ellie Daylor Cruz like the beauty of baseball from the Nassau Bahamas. Clearly a smaller guy. You’re a big tall guy. But that’s what’s so great about this sport is how many people from different walks of life, different sizes, different shapes can play. No doubt. And and and the the the fun thing about a clubhouse is all those guys coming together for one greater good, right? You got you got guys from all over the country. Uh all over the world, different walks of life, different beliefs, different things like that. and you know for all all of us to come together and and you know fight for a World Series and then you know even in things like this Allstar games where we’re on different teams but you know we can all get together and have a good time. It’s it’s it’s a lot of fun. How are you doing as we say goodbye? You doing all right? Feeling all right? Doing all right. I’m I’m getting old, man. Yeah. Aren’t we all? I’m getting old. Just I I think the diamond plays are are a thing of the past, right? You know, I should have probably just let Aussie get that one and and do his thing, but um you know me, I I I can’t let an out go. Can’t let it go. So, I appreciate you guys. Thanks so much for stopping by. Appreciate it. Great. Chris Sale Jazz is stuck here on two. Yeah. So, it hasn’t been going Jazz’s way. He talked about, “I’m going to go. I’m going to enjoy myself.” And they’re hoping that one is enough to get over the wall. And it was for his third. And [Applause] frustration for Jazz. You can see, man, the heat tonight. And the swing wasn’t locked in. You got a family that is all body art and tattoos. He’s got a tattoo of Ken Griffy Jr.’s swing. He can try to dial in at that right now. Yeah, he’s going to need a big one here. This is going to be very hard here. It’s time to just let it loose. Yeah, it’s tough. You can see a little bit of the frustration as well. And you think about it, obliques are not nothing to mess with, too. He’s just really coming off of it. He’s taking a lot of swings. He’s I think he’s trying to be just a little careful. You know what? I I can commend it a little bit, but you got to be ready for these home run derby. I’ll tell you who’s not disappointed right now most likely is every Yankee fan. You participated didn’t pass the first round. Stay fair. [Applause] The stepfather is the one throwing him pitches. Jared Sans that that last one which was the foul ball was the third out. So that home run that he just hit wouldn’t count. We’re waiting to see if here inside Truis Park. They recognized it. Aaron Judge and fellow Yankee teammates Max Freed out there to greet Jazz Chisum. Quite an experience for he and his stepdad to do it in the Bahamas and certainly here at Truis Park. But Jazz Chisum’s night is over. The little guy and now the major league leader with 38 homers, 14 more home runs than anyone else in the field. This is such an incredible year and first half that Raleigh had. He’s got more homers at the first half than he’s had in any regular season. That’s amazing. It’s amazing and it’s a testament to who he is and what the work that he’s put in. Changed his bat model. He’s looking to lift and pull and he’s been able to do that. And he’s not swinging at a lot of pitches out of the zone. And he’s got his entire family. I mean, a special part of this night. And you had this with your brother Charlie. But that’s his dad and that’s his younger brother who’s catching surrounded by love and support. What a great picture right now. This is a good family picture. Oh man. To have them there. He brought out two bats. So I wonder during the timeout will he switch sides? The intricacies of batting from both sides. But this is awesome. And we talked early we talked early in the year about torpedo bats, right? A big fuss was made about it in New York. Well, Cal’s been using it the entire season and it’s worked for him. The idea for Cal Raleigh, guys, is that he is going to start left-handed. It is a better park for left-handed hitters and at the timeout, switch to his right-handed swing. But if he’s feeling in a groove, if he’s feeling good with that left-handed swing, his father Todd said he’s going to stick with it and hopefully ride it to a win. Wow. He wasn’t waiting at all and he hits it over a screen and a souvenir. Rley’s coming out aggressive with two swings on two pitches from his dad. There you go. He’s a This is a BP thrower. His dad a little slower. Actually like this. Let the Let your son dictate the power of how he swings. Oh. Oh yeah. [Applause] Love to see you got your old man out there throwing you in a in a home run derby. There you go. Yeah. It’s not like dad’s never thrown a baseball. His dad was a former division one head baseball coach. The story goes when he was at the University of Tennessee, the family moved there, and Todd tried out for a youth team, I should say. Cal tried out for a U team and didn’t make the team. So, it was his dad Todd who said, “Never let anybody tell you you can’t make a team again. You got to work your dumper off.” And he has ever since the building shot. I think I might stick left-handed here. I don’t even think about hitting right-handed. Let’s not forget he also went to Florida State. When you hit it out there that way in that short porch, you’re hitting it into the circus. And he’s making it a circus right now. And right. And now it’s about when is he going to take that timeout? Oh, look at you. Spot on. Like you’ve seen it. You’ve been here before, Eddie. So, he’s got another bat on the left hand hitting side that is currently still on the ground. This is strategy. We got a Rosa rain out there. We What do you think? Top or left. You can hear them. Let’s listen. It’s equal amount of power, equal amount bat speed, same loft, and if we want to get a little nerdy on this, Todd, 33° lift angle, same one as Tasker Hernandez when he won it last year. Oh, baby. I I love Pops in there, Todd Raleigh. is in the conversation. What do you want to do, son? Let’s talk it out. And that easy strut coming right in going right-handed. All right. To the right side he goes. His teammate Ryan Woo, the pitcher, has sort of characterized everybody’s observations about Raleigh. It went from nice start to holy, what are we witnessing here? Ken Griffy Jr.’s got the Mariners record 56 homers in the season. Raleigh’s at 38 already. And he doesn’t get a pitch to look at. Oh, he might not need one. You have enough carry on it. No, both of those may come up shy. The first one came up shy and the second one just short, too. That’ll feel better. That looks like it’s destined for deck two. Got him liner. [Applause] Not there. He’s got to get to 17 to knock Rooker out. And I’m aware that he has DH 22 games so far this year. Yeah. But don’t talk about strong legs. He by a pitch. There’s always one of those. That’s fine. And now he’s mad. [Applause] But there’s some there is some power behind that swing. [Music] About 25 seconds to go. Yeah, there’s another. There’s a dozen. Oh, get on top of that one. Yep. Locked in. [Music] That’s when you’re like get up ball. One more underneath it. But a really strong finish from Cal Raleigh to get him to 15 home runs with three outs to play with and no clock. All right, the outbat for Cal Raleigh is he he’s trying to figure out what side he’s going to hit from. Do you have any thoughts what you would do here? I I think I would go back to lefty. I felt I felt like he was more comfortable left-handed and I I don’t know. It’s a shorter park that side too as well. I go righty. Why? I would I just think he lifted the baseball more consistently to the right side than he did. He’s got the left-handed hitting back. He does. And it’s torpedo again. Different. He’s going left. You He might be thinking that. It’s hard though. You’re going back and forth. He plays with your mind now. You got to reset on both sides. And it also plays with his dad as well. He’s got to take a couple pitches here. Just time it. Yeah. But again, you don’t have to swing. There’s no clock. Vicky Manel holds the record for home runs by a switch hitter. That’s 54. This guy right here has that much in his sights with 38. And he is sitting at 15. He needs to get to 17 to knock Rooker off or match him in fourth place with Matt Olsen still waiting. I just saw him top spin more baseballs from the left side than from the right side. He just did a back swing a little bit to hit his brother’s glove. Matt Olsen keeping the legs and everything else loose as Raleigh sends one to the moon, but not far enough. And he’s down to his final out. Oh, he’ll keep it going though with a monster shot. Don’t forget what Florida State a lot of tomahawk chops over there as well. Oh, he has got to 17. clutch. Two homers with two outs. Can he knock Rooker out with one more? [Applause] Wow. Cal Raleigh will end up with 17 homers. And Matt Olsen [Applause] now knows what he needs to do. If Olsen cannot eclipse 17, we’ve just been told that Rooker and Raleigh each hit a ball 471 ft, which means unless Olsen can knock them both out, we might have a swing off to see who survives. How per how perfect right there. 471. Who’s measuring? That’s beautiful. What are the odds, right? And here goes to show you which side does he want to hit on? So it it helps or it doesn’t. I don’t know. [Laughter] Options. I do not know what options are. We are told that it may come down to the decimal point. You know the Dewey decimal system. Help me. 471.4 471.6. We’re waiting on that count. And how about there was a lot of pressure on James Wood at the beginning. There’s a lot of pressure right now on Matt Olsen. Listen to the place explode from Matt Olsen. Cal Raleigh from the right side. I really love his swing. Well, ultimately most of these fans have come for one reason and he is standing in the batters box right now and that is the Atlanta Braves Matt Olsen. Tell you what, one thing’s going through his mind right now is get going to a hot start and I think that’s the main thing he’s got to think about. Crowd is on your side. How how are the nerves right now knowing the home field and with their fans? non-stop until you get that first home run. Then you relax and bring bring yourself back to where you need to be. Matt Olsen is the only participant that has been in a home run derby before and he has seen a home run derby here when he was just a kid. And his first swing goes to center field and it will not leave the yard. That one’s got a better chance. All [Applause] right, the word is in that Cal Raleigh had a baseball at 471. Go further. So Raleigh has knocked Rooker out. Oh the top of the wall. He’s looking for his first. He’s 30 seconds in with none. He’s got to get going. Yeah, this is not the start that Matt Olsen or these fans wanted. Think about it. And a late add-on for Ronald Duna Jr. did not really get to start practicing for this. Come on, Matty. We want you to go here. It’s a longer swing, too. There you go. His hands travel back more than any hitter in this competition. All right. Well, he he’s broken the seal. Now we got two. Stay fair. Ah, just missed. Somebody’s got to move that pull. There he goes. Kick. He’s got four now. And a high drive. That may stay in his park. We’re going to take a timeout. Matt Olsen’s got four. He’s starting to warm. He’s getting some help from Akunia and Chris Sale. All right, so the ruling is in. Cal Raleigh hit a baseball 470.61 and Rooker’s longest was 470.53. So Cal Raleigh will advance. I mean that’s where we’re where we’re at in the home run derby. Wow. Bon Rooker. I want to review. Yeah. We need Matt Olsen and he needs to get going here if he wants to hang around for the next round. A huge fly we can say goodbye to on that one. Another line drive. Oh, that’s his longest of the night. He’s got to remember that feel, that timing. Eddie Perez has to stay on money and good last two pitches. He’s got the crowd on his feet and the last two homers were shots. He golfs one to center. Oh, he’s in a groove now. He’s got to get the 14 here. 13 or 14. He can do it as well. He’s got 15 pitches left. Underneath it. No more timeouts in this round. He was 6 years old in 2000 when he watched Sandy Sosa deliver a Derby title. Another golf shot to center. And Alena to right. Gone. Oh, let’s go baby. Oh, everybody’s up now. He does it again. 25 seconds. He’s got plenty of time to get going. Plenty of time. Get going. He’s gone. We need more. Yeah. Yeah. That’s another one. He may not need the bonus round. Oh, one more pitch. Woo! Boy, was that it. Clutch time out. How many did you say? I said 13 or 14. He went over. Oh my. What did you put in that cup? Bryce Harper, Todd Frasier of course, and Ryan Sandberg are the only three to have ever won the derby in front of their home crowd. What a second half to that first round from Matt Olsen. See the hands travel, but this is where Eddie Perez got on time. Down and in. Beautifully done. The feeds were perfect and Eddie and Matt were on point. There’s nothing better when the crowd gets in here. Look at this in 4D. Hands are back. Oh, right where a left-handed hitter wants it. That ball was ripped right there. Did not get out, but still the swing was perfect. You get in a groove. We saw this the best groove we’ve seen so far in this home run derby. Oh, they’re doing the chop right now. [Applause] The metrics don’t jump off the page, but what does the ability to do this in front of a home crowd that has suffered through a first half of the season not living up to brave expectations. This can turn the whole thing around for this fan base. If Olsson can get into the next round, and you know what’s really cool? During the break, Todd looked at me and he’s like, he’s built for this right here. The outs slow it down. He can control the tempo now without That’s it. I wrote that down. This is more control. Here we go. And this place is absolutely going bonkers. Wouldn’t it be great he hit 172 double challenge? [Applause] I don’t know. One step closer. No, not yet. And his longest so far is 460. So he would not he needs three move forward in a tiebreaker [Applause] waiting for the right pitch. Two outs to go. Not mad at him at all. Oh yes. Oh no, that wall. That one looked different. Oh, and he’s down to his last out. No. It will not happen for Eddie Perez and Matt Olsen tonight after an unbelievable second half to the opener. He cannot get it done in the bonus round. But what a show he put on in the middle of that round. Man, that was impressive. That really was. And look, everyone in this stadium was up on their feet. They wanted to cheer their hometown kid who grew up cheering for the Braves. What a great moment. Great moment for Matt Olsen. As he said, it would be a dream come true to do the derby in front of his home fans. His mom was a teacher growing up here in Atlanta. He is Braves through and through. And the opportunity he comes up just short. [Applause] That’s the guy right there who is by less than an inch is able to advance in this home run derby. He’s hit more homers than anybody and it comes down to literally less than an inch which allows Cal Raleigh to move forward. That’s the stuff you can’t make up. I like Camaro here. I do. I like how his swing was. I like how he got in front of the baseball and he was hitting him with ease. The more you can hit it with ease, I think the better you’re going to be here. I’m telling you, you you’ve got doubts and I love it. I love Cam Arrow’s swing, but O’Neal Cruz hit with 513 ft. I think of Tasks Hernandez last year. He didn’t overswing. He just took care of business. Okay, I get you. How’s this? 513 ft though. I still got Buckton though. That’s my pick. So, I I I’m lose right now. Byron Buckston, who was a football player in high school, his athletic director when he walked out to play quarterback said, “How far can you throw a football from the oneyd line?” He threw it 82 yardds. We take a look at Statcast powered by Google Cloud. He’s hoping to hit a whole bunch of baseballs that same way. Byron Buckton hit 20 in round one and every single one of them was to the left side of center field. Well, the satcast powered by Google Cloud brings us to Byron Buckton’s next in bat. Little different here. Obviously, fewer pitches and only 2 minutes on the clock. They used to say about Buckton, “One day I want to wake up and be him. Hit a baseball 450 ft. Throw a fast ball 97. Go to the gym and dunk any way you can and go to the football field and throw a football 82 yds.” Second round underway with an early shot and then a foul ball. Don’t panic. Got big leaguers on that area right there catching that. He got off to a bad start there. He started slow in his first round. That’s right. First pitch was way up and in. Gave a look and now he’s trying to fight back. Taking his time, too. You got to get going here a little bit. Going first is not easy. Even in the first round, second round, that won’t be high enough. Good exit velocity, but you still need the lift. That’s going to stay fair. Yeah, it is. Look at that thing go. What do you remember after like it was a different getting through the first round? I just wonder that’s such a hard accomplishment in itself. Yeah. Now you get here. Playing against Prince Fielder, too. Wasn’t the best. It wasn’t easy. Buckton’s got to get it rolling here. and he hits a line shot to start Buckton and Camro. And then it’s Raleigh, the home run derby first half champ against O’Neal Cruz who belted one 513 ft to get things started. Buckston was drafted by the Twins back in 2012 and he’s been with Watkins since 2013 at Class A Cedar Rapids. And this is a this has been a great road for both of them in the big leagues. When he told him, “I want you to be the one to throw to me,” he got teary eyed and then so did Byron. Just a huge towering home run there. Oh yeah, he’s got 10 seconds. Try and get two more here, but God, it’s taking too much time. [Applause] The number for Bucks is six. And you can see the physical toll that it has taken on him tonight. And it’s not as if the night has significantly cooled off here in Atlanta. Still around 86° and a very hot ballpark. Needs to get to put pressure on the rest of the guys at least. I believe to 12 to 13. Okay. Ag agreed. Double digits for sure. Such a hard start when you don’t get the pitch you want to as well. You know, you you don’t blame the pitching coach. At the same time, you try and will him to throw those strikes for you. It’s hard job. Yeah. 84 degrees. And I’m telling you, down here on the field, it’s a little toastier. And it’s a lot toastier in that box as well, for sure. All right, so Buckton’s got the three outs left and he’d love to blast one over 425 to pick up another one. [Applause] See if he can get in a little groove. He’s got to get really selective here. Collapsing a little bit too much on that back side. He touches one to right center and it will not carry far enough. [Applause] Got to fire those hips right now. Look middle in [Applause] there. Right there. Fire them hips. Go out with a bang. jammed. The number will be seven for Byron Buckton. And that is what Junior Camro will shoot for. Two minutee rounds. It’s a little tougher. You got to go right away. Absolutely right. You feel the pressure with the time already getting on you. When do you take the break? He took it at the 57 second mark left in there which is I thought was really good but the start the first five pitches really got to him. Junior Camero will come up next. Let’s take a look at Statcast powered by Google Cloud. This may be the easiest swing of anyone in this field. They blasted 21 and it’s catching everything out in front. It’s as Barry Bonds would say, just catch the ball. Catch it to the barrel. That’s exactly what Junior Camero did and it’s not It’s almost like 70%. He’s not trying to overswing at all at the plate. Big time maturity for his age. And now he knows he has seven. So he can be on cruise control. Get that first one out of the way and just get going. Now you know the number. Now, this is different than that first round. It’s He It’s just past seven and he can move past Byron Buckton. Easily cruise control, though, because you got Cruz thinking about the wrong person, huh? [Applause] He once put on a home run derby show in Toronto Sky before a game in which the people around the cage all gave him a standing ovation during BP. That’s the type of thunder he’s got in his bat. And that is a good start for Junior Camro. [Music] [Applause] So easy. That back foot of his is already pointing almost towards the plate a little bit this way. He’s looking to do that on everything. This is going to help him too. Now he gets to He’s not going to be as tired. It’s a It’s a Ken Griffy Jr. swing from the right side. It’s just so silky. That’s going to stay fair, too. Oh, it’s the hidden gem in baseball. The biggest hidden gem, I believe, is Junior Camroero in Tampa Bay. Well, the next one will move. Well, there you go. Junior Camero. That’s it. [Applause] Junior Camero will advance as he knocks out Byron Buckton. And he did it in about a minute. That’s I was just going to say he did it with under a minute. He is going to be the favorite after this. I don’t care who it is. He’s going to be he’s not going to be tired. He’s ready to go. He could jump right up there right now. So watch out for him in the championship round. Yeah, it’s an easy swing. It’s a controlled swing and it’s consistent. He don’t even look like And there’s no effort there. It’s an easy effort. Let’s catch it out front. Yeah. And that looked like a pop fly. That 400 foot it comes out so hot because when he makes contact, Eddie, on impact is when you do the flick of the race. Look at this reaction by Bung. Yeah. Call it a night. Yep. Hit. Sometimes you tip your cap. Tremendous effort by Junior Camroero. Alden Gonzalez is with him. Junior, this is your first. Junior, this is your first home run derby and you are advancing to the finals. How does that feel? Home run derby. [Applause] [Music] I feel good. I feel good. Thank God. I’m glad that the fans could be here to see me put on a show and also that my family is here with me in this moment. What did you learn through the first two rounds that could help you in the finals? And what’s your strategy going to be? [Music] I’m just going to keep the same rhythm, try to have confidence and just keep moving forward. Thankfully, we’re in the finals. We’ll see what happens. Junior, congratulations, Carl. It’s Cal Raleigh right now trying to stop a Dominican dynasty that might continue to happen, right? You had Vlatty Teao, you got Junior Camro in the final, and O’Neal Cruz is trying to get in there and there’s one man that’s going to try to stop him. Cruz had a lot of time to relax. Okay, so now he’s going to be fine. Let’s see what Raleigh can do here and what side he’s going to swing at the most part here. I think he’s going to stay lefty the whole time. Cal Raleigh is planning on swinging left-handed the entire round. And that is exactly why, gentlemen. It’s a shorter porch in right field. and he feels like if his dad can keep the pitches up and in a little bit more than they were last time, he has a chance to advance to the finals. Oh, what a start. Three homers, four swings for Wall-E. And there’s urgency in these swings right now because he understands the power of O’Neal Cruz. He has to put pressure on him. What a different start compared to Byron Button. Perfect start. That’s what you wanted. He said bring it down a little bit to his dad. Remember his younger brother is catching and has the best view of everybody. He’s not catching many baseballs behind home right now. It seems natural, too. What a natural left-handed swing it is. Oh, he’s putting on a show right now. Oh, and he asked for time after that one. What a start for Cal Raleigh. eight in less than a minute to get it going. Raleigh’s got eight. [Applause] Now he’s got nine. Cal crushes another. Coming off hot, too. Oh, he had to reach for that one. You know, you can’t you got to keep going. He’s in that lead dog position. You got to put up a big number and he’s doing it. Yeah, he is. Easy pop. Oh. Oh yeah. Biggest one of the night. Way out of here off the roof. Pops is doing it. He’s grooving it right where he wants it. This is what a home run derby champion looks like. He’s got enough time as well. Three pitches left with 20 seconds. Right off the brick wall. Did that one go? [Applause] I ain’t going to lie, that jumper right now is helping him because he has not lost his leg. [Applause] Wow, what a start for Raleigh. 16 homers. What do you think, Ken Griffy Jr.? 16 bombs and the bonus round to come. And Todd, one thing that I noticed with Kal is he did not top spin many in this round at all like he did at the beginning of this. Just stayed through, made sure he lifted, made sure he pulled everything. And his dad did a great job. He was He’s the only one right now to go through the whole bucket of 27 balls and he hit 16 home runs. That’s incredible in a minute and a half. And again, what an incredible scene for the Raleigh family with dad on the mound and brother who’s a big kid behind the plate. He’s 15 years old, Todd Jr. It’s all Raleigh right now and he’s got the bonus round to go. So, he has hit twice as many homers as Camro did. And Camero advances with eight. [Applause] You can hear the encouragement. It’s got to feel really good. We’re good. That ball is no good anymore. Wow. [Applause] There’s more coming for one. These are mashed. Cranked. Dropped the head. Good take. He has earned another out. I love the brother there talking. Good take. I love it. That’s got to feel comfortable. No doubt. Two outs to play with. Can he get to 20? Well, he’s uh now threatening 19, but just short. O’Neal Cruz is waiting. [Applause] Oh yes, got on top of that one. How about his brother right there? Good hack. It’s fitting that a seminal hits it to the chop house. 19 for the big jumper. That’s a high bar, but if anybody can jump over it in this derby, it might be O’Neal Cruz. They’re going to have to work fast, though. That’s the biggest thing. You want to get through every single baseball. Look, there was balance the entire time. He never had any issues with his bottom half at all. Why would somebody whose nickname is dumper ever have an issue with his bottom half? I have a question. He didn’t get the temper from his dad and definitely he does have it and so does his brother. Beautiful shot right there. You talk about a seminal hit against his chop house. Hey Waiter, I got a ball in by soup here. Oh, the guy caught it too. He caught it in the air. Look at that. You know, Jeff, you ready? It’s yours. Cal Raleigh. A much better round this time than last time. What made it so much better for you going left-handed exclusively? Uh, you know, I got my feet wet that first round. Was lucky enough to advance by 0.1 of an inch. Uh, Brent’s probably going to hate me for that. So, but, uh, yeah, just found that rhythm. You know, I wanted no matter what, I wanted to go both sides. I did it. I accomplished that. And, uh, there I just found the rhythm lefty. So, I was like, let’s just let it ride. The big question now, you saw 513 ft from O’Neal Cruz in the first round. Is this going to be enough to beat him? I don’t know. I don’t think any part can hold that guy. He’s unbelievable. Thank you, Cal. We’re about to see what O’Neal Cruz can do coming up next. Think Junior Cameron likes the camera on him. He put up a big smile. 21 home runs in round one for O’Neal Cruz, including the 513 ft bomb. I mean, you say 513 ft. You don’t think about baseball home runs. He’s got the hands. He’s got the speed. He’s ready to do it. It’s just a matter of the getting going. Can one count for two? Because O’Neal Cruz is absolutely fit for this, but he’s run into that guy right there, Cal Raleigh, who’s put a lot of pressure on him. Kevin will try to soften him up, isn’t he? He’s sitting back with a fan right now. He’s jealous. And this is O’Neal Cruz who finally as a Pittsburgh Pirate passes on to the second round. He’s representing not only the Pirates but the National League. Yeah. Yeah. Once again, the wall forms in front of us. This time it’s Marte who’s joining Tatis Jr. and Ellie de la Cruz. Looks like Peralta is going to fill in as well. So, we’re going to listen for the sound again. might not even Paul Sk is right down here in a crouched position getting as close to O’Neal Cruz as you really ever want to get when he’s got a bat in his hand. 6’7 240 lbs and that goes Moonshot number one. It comes off the bat differently for O’Neal Cruz. [Applause] And one of the advices that Vlatty Jr. gave to him is don’t swing as hard. You don’t need that. Stay consistent. [Music] [Applause] Fernando Tatis Jr. right in front of us is making some really serious moves as well. And now he looks at the clock like everybody else in this building as Bruce Jr. missed his last two. And those are the tough spin that Raleigh was able to avoid. There’s some backspin. Morales. He’s got to get going, man. He got it going. He’s taking four or five seconds in between. He’s got his hand up in the air. That ball didn’t get out. So, a minute six, five homers, needing 14 more to tie. [Applause] Same swing that cost him before the timeout with that top spin. And now he gets underneath one. Starting to look pretty good for Cal Raleigh. Starting to look really good. Steven Morales is accelerating the pace a little bit more now, but still O’Neal Cruz not being able to lift the baseball. [Applause] There it goes. God, that’s so high, too. This is going to have to be one of the most unbelievable comebacks if he’s able to surpass Cal Raleigh here. We’ve seen a few of those. You can talk about comebacks every single time. He’s crossed off the catcher. [Applause] He’s got five left. Got to get him. [Applause] [Music] Can’t be taking a pitch. That’s close. There’s a rip shot. That’s Oh, foul. There you go. My goodness. Needs one. Needs one. Needs one. And he got it. Okay, boys. Bonus round. Nine homers. I tell you one thing, Cal Raleigh not too comfortable. He’s got 10. So, he needs nine. Tampa Bay is already in. Pittsburgh trying to get in. Seattle’s got a reservation at the table. And what he needs is just nine. Nine. Because the distance, he owns the distance. If if there’s one guy in this derby right now that can do it, it’s him. Because he can mish hit a ball and still get it out of this park. How much pressure does Steven Moral is the VP pitcher has right now? I I don’t think it’s much at all cuz he’s taking his time already. So, he can breathe, take his time, and throw strikes. The pressure right now is on is on cruise control. Morales has been a great motivator, too. He’ll he’ll poke the cruise bear every now and then. And he even told him right now, O’Neal told him, “Hey, let’s slow it down. Let’s take our time.” There’s a lot at stake right here. Take two or three. Get your eyesight ready. You see the spin and rotation of the ball. Oh my. Longest one of the night. Even him, he can’t believe he hit it that far. What? Woo! That’s nasty. [Applause] He’s already got the bonus. So, four outs to play with and a towering high fly. Got to go right at the wall. And not far enough. We don’t need anybody robbing home runs. Fernando Tastis Jr. was in O’Neal Cruz’s ear during that time out. He told them, “Stay to the middle of the field. Go to center field. That’s your swing. He’s trying too hard to pull it and he’s rolling balls over. Stick to center field was his advice.” All right, let the countdown begin. He’s got two outs. He needs eight homers to tie. If there’s a tie, it’s a swing off. No distance then. No distance. What got Cal Raleigh here is not going to destroy him here in this round. That ball he just hit over the wall is way is further than that. Oh my god. Well, now the pressure is as high as it’s been. If he wants to continue, he’s got to hit eight homers before he makes another out. Okay. Okay. There’s one. [Applause] behind six. How hard is it to hit seven home runs in a row on any field at any time? Anytime. Especially in this heat. Down to six. He’s got a take here. Oh, that is he completely. What a show for O’Neal Cruz in his first home run derby. And I said it earlier, it might not he might not win it, but it definitely will be memorable. And farthest shot, rightfully so. The numbers do not lie. O’Neal Cruz owns that. We didn’t see many of them right off the bat, but when it was hit, it was loud, too. Man, he’s on the short list of guys that you will always want to see in a home run derby. And you got to believe he learned a lot from what he just experienced tonight. The final swing of O’Neal Cruz. Thanks for the memories, man. He had some blasts, including one that traveled 53 ft. He got into this thing by less than an inch. Now, Chipper, thank you. Will youth be served or not? Juan Gonzalez, 23 years, 265 days, the youngest winner. That was back in 1993. Sodto was just a day older. But since 2015, the winner has not been older than 26. And we got a youngster right there on the left in Junior Camro trying to become the youngest to ever win it. And not a tall order for Junior Canero because he’s felt the pressure. He understands what it is to play in the Dominican Republic. He understands now what it is to play here in the big leagues and he knows and he feels like he belongs. Nothing is too big for Camro. Yeah. You know, Cal Rally came in here as the favorite. So, the pressure I feel like is going to be on Cal. He’s got to go first. And then Kam Camo coming in. You saw what he did right after he knew how many he needed to hit. And he did it with these under a minute, too. Cal Rley’s entire night of home runs. And there have been a few that have gone to left because he’s a switch hitter and hit from the right side. In the last round, he went strictly from the left. And you won’t see any more from the left side. He’s going to go I mean from the right side. He’s going to go strictly left. The bat says it all. And let’s not forget a big hidden secret out there in the great Northwest using those torpedo bats has given him that consistency on pitches in up in the zone. And it’s exactly what they’re designed for and exactly designed for his swing in a most unique set of circumstances in an incredibly created scenario. Dad, brother, pitcher, catcher. And look at this moment as they talk just before he goes to the plate. Jeff. Yeah. Todd Raleigh on the mound right now. Says his arms feeling pretty good. Looking to put the ball middle in with his son Cal who last round showed what the power to right field looks like. Hoping to replicate that and be the first catcher guys to win a home run derby. As a dad, he said it doesn’t get any better. It’s all downhill from there. to be able to be there with him on the field and have T the catcher involved. It’s kind of like one of those Hallmark moments. Let’s see what he does in the last two Hallmark moments. And he’s already got one big fly. And nearly to the same place for two. He pops up that one. Major Leagueer in homers by a lot. Cal Raleigh. He had 14 more than anyone in this field. And he is in a crush mode right now. It’s what he did last time, too, with this two-minute mark. Just got after it. Todd’s throwing it right where he wants it. Give me your number. What’s your number? 17. 17. I think he has to eclipse that to be Kemin. Kemin’s well rested. He’s got the swing path as well and he knows it. [Applause] That’s going to go too. Timeout right now. Oh, big fly to center to follow up the one that just got over. What a start for Cal Raleigh. And just like last time after he hit a home run, he asked for timeout. He was falling a little off balance. He’s he understands his body really well. This is a guy that gets to the ballpark early, studies the opponents, gets his pitchers ready, then gets his body ready. Oh, beautifully done. Yeah, maybe the most impressive part of Raleigh’s home run to start this first half is he’s in charge of the pitching staff, too. Yeah, without a doubt. So, he’s got a hit from both sides. He’s in charge of the staff and he can hit the ball really far. He got in the groove there. I thought he should have took it one more just to see if he would have had another one. This guy knows his swing and look at the path here. Eyes to the ball. They’ll tell you the story all day. Easy, easy pop. See that left elbow is tight to the body. I think the impressive thing is he’s using it down the line, but he’s not bounding a lot of those pitches down the line as well. I think the impressive thing is a 15year-old brother’s out there coaching everybody. Telling dad you got time. It’s the leadership skills, right? When you see your older brother be a leader, go through adversity, get to Florida State, get drafted in the third round, and do what he’s done now at the big leagues. It’s incredible. Then he’s got 14 pitches. And like his younger brother said, “Dad, you got time.” So they do. Take your time here. They’re going to get through all of them. Oh yeah. Way back on the first two. Three in a row. Can hear his brother. His brother’s yelling. Oh yeah. He had a fast start. He has cooled off in his last three. Got to try to find that groove again. Sitting at 10. There you go. Like the reset. I really enjoyed that reset right there. He went down to get that one. Had to use his legs. Wasn’t able to. Monster moonshot. [Applause] 15 seconds left. 10 seconds. He finds a way to get back in the groove. [Applause] He got one more and he goes deep to center. Come on. I tell you, he looks pretty cool right now for somebody that’s going through what he’s going through. Don’t tell me there’s no stamina in the Big D. Oh my god. It’s easy right there. And he’s not using all of his strength. The Mariner fans are enjoying it. They’re There’s a reason why he has 38 right now. See that top hand relaxed. Then he tightens that bat. Eyes wide open. I’m giving I’m giving dad credit, baby. And and the brother behind. Look at how excited he is. That’s a Christmas card. Heck yeah. Encouragement. You got your brother telling you, “Oh yeah, let’s go. Keep rocking.” That’s exciting. It’s a big advantage, a big helper, man. That is a big helper. And the big dumper, who has been the best home run hitter for the first half of the season, is delivering on his promise to the Pacific Northwest. Hey, Dad. Man, you keep doing it. What an impressive performance from dad tonight. He coached at the University of Tennessee for a handful of years and he has thrown a thousand 100,000 balls to Cal, but never under these conditions. Bonus round. He certainly got the power to add an extra out. I love the brother, man. I absolutely love this kid. His stock, his stock is raising. [Applause] He’s controlling like his brother does. Controlling the outcome in the game. It’s what catchers do. Yeah. Launches one. You said 17, right? I did. I think he might go over that. He needs to go over this. Foul. Yeah. Yeah. Way foul. Had the distance. First one he went back to back. Didn’t take a couple there. He’s earned the bonus. And the Raleigh Rocket Show continues here with Junior Camro, the most interested spectator in the building. [Applause] Oh, he tomahawk that one. He did tomahawk chop in Atlanta. Oh, for the former Florida State seminal. Always a seven, Carl. Always. Always a null. He went tomahawk chop for us. Well, he’s on your number with one out to go. Don’t get too big here. Stay short and sweet. A lot of talking between the two of them. I love I love that he’s listening to his brother as well. Oh, listen to the brother. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Love it. Right. Love it. All right. There’s the number. Cal Raleigh. 18 bombs. [Applause] He’s put pressure on Camo. Definitely put pressure on it. Is it going to be enough though? Not a lot of swings for Cam Arrow so far today. I’ll tell you this, it’s a great number though because it’s not like nine, it’s not 28. It’s a perfect number to go shoot for. Everybody’s got some advice for Junior Camro. So, you can see Junior Camero and where he hit all the baseballs with the silkiest of swings in the derby tonight. Perfect location as a home run hitter. That’s exactly where you want to hit the ball, to the left side of that left center field gap. And he’s gotten out of front of many of them. I think so far today, he has been the one that’s gotten out in front perfectly. All right, Eddie, let’s talk about the bat because we didn’t get too deep into the bat, but the bat is actually himself. He’s got his hair. He’s got the sunglasses. Dig yourself. If you’re talking about a guy that has a lot of confidence in who he is at the plate, he is, forget about the age with Junior Camroero. It’s the maturity that he has. The bling baba, look at that. Remember Tampa Bay is playing outdoors this year. So cool. His first appearance in the derby. He’s the fourth member of the Rays to participate. A Rosa did it. Carlos Pñena, Evan Longoria. No Rays player has ever won the derby. And he’s trying to continue that Dominican legacy of being able to win this derby. He’s got the bling on the belt. He’s got the flag there as well. Eight Dominicans have won the derby, including Tay Oscar last year, Flatty the year before, and Sodto in 2022. [Music] The number that he’s got to get to is 18. That would force a swing off. 19 gets him a championship. I think he’s going to get through the whole bucket too as well. The way they’ve been working and their pace, he’s ready to swing and he’s ready to go. Tomas Francisco has done a great job of being able to coach him through this. That’s the easy swing we’ve seen all night. And it’s already two for two. Everything is going to be out front for him. [Applause] Center field. And that ball did not get out. That one does. He’s got three. [Applause] There it goes. [Applause] They both look calm and collected here, too. Oh, yeah. Oh, man. Junior line shot. Got a chance. Oh. Oh, he stole it. Oh, hey there. They counted it though. They did. They counted it. The umpire counted it. Good cuz that was a home run. It looked like over the wall that was it disrupted Camo as well. Yeah, you can’t. Oh man, that’s tough. Yeah, you’re not there to do that. Hey guys, Thomas Francisco, his junior Camro’s BP thrower, the key going into this last round was he wanted to give him a little bit extra time, get into a good pace. He thought as if Junior Camro was too amped in the first two rounds. The problem is after he said that, Cal Rally hit 18 home runs. So, I don’t know if that plan is still in place. Now, we’re going to take a look at this what appeared to be a home run robbery. And everybody in the ballpark is looking at it as is Major League Baseball. And this Yeah, that looked like it would have been a home run, fellas. They did. I saw the umpire down there. He went right away with the home run sign. Good job by him to get out there. Hey, listen. They’re kids at the end of the day. I would love to see passing in his suit go out there in left field, interview the kids right now. Let’s go, Jeff. As long as they got it right, they did. They got it right. That’s fine. Both at their timeouts. Both had seven home runs. He’s got Camaro’s got seven more seconds to spare, though. [Applause] There it is. There’s the easy swing. He lowers that bat and fires into it. That one’s not going to be deep enough. One minute to go. And because he finishes high and hits everything out front, that’s where he creates the launch. Old school launch right here. He’s got nine pitches left to look at Guerrero getting into it on that third base side as Camro slows the roll after blasting through four in a row. He’s got time. He got five pitches. Let it go. Didn’t get out. That one will. He’ll have 13 homers. He’s down. Oh, he’s got 14 in 18 seconds. Not there. Look out. Not there. 10 seconds. He’s done. And the pitches are over. All right, we are right on the cusp as he’s got three outs to play and he needs four to force sudden death. How old is he? 11. You think about those last 12 swings. He had close to 45 sec or a minute, excuse me, to get those 12 swings off. He threw they went too quick. Just a little bit. And remember, they prepared for this derby. at Fenway Park. You talk about being able to look for loft in Tomas Francisco. A big part of it saying how consistent his swing was there and he’s going to need to be able to lift the baseball here now. All right, fellas. He’s been in a big moment before. This was game seven. This was the celebration. We don’t know if we’ll see it again if he’s able to win this, but check out what happened when he hit this blast in the ninth inning to put this team ahead. Count him. Yeah. Don’t The fans from Leay right now are going, “Really? You’re showing me this?” Oh my god. Look at this celebration. Oh, it did not stop. Oh. Well, he’s got everybody on that third base side from Vlad Guerrero and everyone else the Dominican Republic rooting hard to see Junior Camroero become the youngest to ever win a derby and the first raise player to do it. I don’t know about you, I’d like to see another swing off here. Oh, I’d love put it right to 18. This is what you want. You want three outs left. You got to get five to win it. And here we go. I like it. Taking a pitch. Oh, he got long. He got long. He wound up for it. He’s been under control the entire time. [Applause] The only Mariner to ever win a Derby was Ken Griffy Jr., but he did it three times. Oh, there is a rocket shot. Bonus earned. That’s a big one right there. He is being coached up right now by Vlatty Jr. [Applause] Eyes wide open too. You see he took a deep breath. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Now he’s got two outs left. He needs three to tie. He’s got to hit one here, don’t you? Just look back and he and I’m glad he said you have to breathe. Not forget to breathe. Loosen up your shoulders. [Applause] Oh, he was in swing mode there and he lifted it high and now he’s down to one out and he needs three homers. He’s got to find a way to get that another bonus. Mindset right here. Mind over matter. [Applause] No room for an out. Tells his pitcher where he wants it. He liked that location. [Applause] No, it will not get out. The Dominican dominance comes to an end. The Big Dumper is your home run derby champion for 2025. And all the dumpies celebrate. How about the job that his younger brother and his dad did? Fantastic. I love it. Are you kidding me? A family affair here at Truis Park tonight. Dad and his two sons walk away with a title. [Music] That was amazing. And Junior Camro comes up just short. The derby delivered, man. That delivered tonight. It did. It did. Glatty Junior is telling me you’re going to get him next year. Next year it’s your year. I love that. It was it was epic because how far the baseballs were hit for one. We saw some of the farthest baseballs were hit and saws that were going out of the stadium. 10 15 balls went definitely out of the stadium. And let’s give a lot of credit also to Junior Camero because now everyone in Major League Baseball knows exactly who he is and rightfully so. But it belongs to that man right now. What a year has he had this season. Remember, Cal Raleigh advanced to the second round because he hit a baseball one inch further. One inch got him into this next round and then he ended up winning the whole thing. Absolutely incredible. And you got your brother there with you. And look at Camaro here on the last swing. Just got on top a little bit. And look at the smiles. Oh man, what a year this guy’s having. I mean, you can’t say it enough. 38 home runs and he’s doing it right here. Spectacular year. You got to put this guy in MVP talks right now for sure. What’s he going to do next year? Steal 40 bases. I mean, award winner last year. He joins junior now is the only Mariners to ever win it. And that’s four home run derby championships for the Seattle organization. He’s the first catcher to ever win the home run derby. The best finish prior to this was by Pudge Rodriguez who lost in the finals. And a switch hitter wins the outright title. Ruben Sierra shared a title back with Eric Davis back in ‘ 89, but he is the first switch hitter to win it outright. And let’s go to Jeff Passen. Cal Raleigh, the home run derby champion. You did it with your father throwing to you. You did it with your brother behind the plate. What does this mean to you? Uh, it means the world, you know. Um, you know, I could have hit zero home runs and I would have had just as much fun. So, I just can’t believe we’re long. It’s unbelievable. Todd Raleigh threw a lot of pitches tonight. You’ve thrown a lot of pitches to your son over his career. How much does this mean to you and why is this so great for the Raleigh family? Well, it’s just a great accomplishment. And I think that everybody, every dad that’s ever had a kid, this is what they dreamed about. And as a dad, you kind of dream about it. To see it come true for your son is unbelievable. Cal, you were saying that T was giving you some advice behind the play. What was he saying to you and why was it the thing that helped propel you to this win? Honestly, he was hyping me up. He was firing me up the whole time. I’d hit one good and he’d be like, “Let’s go.” And I I I don’t know. It just got me going. And I think that’s why I got in good spurts during the during the derby. And uh you know he was talking you know through me to my dad talking about where he should throw it. So it was a lot of fun. He was he was really good and it was an awesome experience. T you had the best view in the house behind the plate. What did you see from back there? Greatness. The second Seattle Mariner to win the home run derby. The other one Ken Griffy Jr. gave you a hug. What did he say to you, Cal? Uh he was just super proud of me obviously. be really cool to see him there the whole time and try to look like him with a backwards hat. So try hopefully made him proud. Got to strap you up with the hardware. Perfect. And now in addition to the chain, he gets the belt and the championship trophy. Carl, a lot of hardware for Cal Raleigh tonight. Yeah. All in the family. I mean, baseball literally runs through the family. And you see, it’s not just the men, but the women as well. Congratulations to the Raleigh Bunch on a most memorable night here in Atlanta as he wins the 2025 T-Mobile Home Derby. And really, I get the inch that got him in, but from his first round, he felt like the guy that was as comfortable as anybody. And he had some moonshot.
FULL 2025 MLB Home Run Derby: July 14, 2025 – Atlanta, Georgia
Cal Raleigh made history as the first catcher ever to win the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, defeating 22-year-old Junior Caminero in the finals.
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6 comments
The Big Dumper
The GOAT 🐐
My goat
Cal had a unbelievable season. It's time for an encore performance this upcoming season. 😎
He’s the G. O. A. T
R F. L. I
E. L. M
A. E
T
E
S
T
He should’ve won MVP😢