Plot Synopsis

Each year since 1985 on the Monday before its annual All-Star Game -- except in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic -- Major League Baseball hosts a home-run derby, featuring its biggest sluggers. ESPN has televised this event since 1993 -- on same-day tape delay from 1993 through 1997 and live since 1998 -- with the derby having many formats since its inception. In the derby's first year, the American League (Cal Ripken; Eddie Murray; Jim Rice; Carlton Fisk; Tom Brunansky) defeated the National League (Steve Garvey; Dave Parker; Ryne Sandberg; Will Clark; Dale Murphy), with Brunansky hitting three home runs in the final round to win the event 17-16 for the AL.
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ESPN televised the 2023 Home Run Derby on Monday, July 10, 2023 at 8pm ET/5pm PT from T-Mobile Park in Seattle, WA. Karl Ravech, who has served as the voice of the event since 2017, returns to call the action with analyst Eduardo Perez. Reporters Buster Olney and Alden Gonzalez contribute updates and conduct interviews for the telecast. Kevin Connors hosts the BASEBALL TONIGHT pre-Derby show on ESPN from 4-6pm ET/1-3pm PT and then again from 7-8pm ET/4-5pm PT with a combination of analysts, including Jessica Mendoza, Xavier Scruggs and National Baseball Hall of Fame writer Tim Kurkjian.

The StatCast alternate presentation of the HOME RUN DERBY also returns with an exclusive telecast on ESPN2 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. The telecast is in collaboration with MLB StatCast. Kevin Brown provides commentary with analyst Jessica Mendoza and MLB.com Statcast analyst Mike Petriello. The team also hosts a special StatCast edition of BASEBALL TONIGHT from 7-8pm ET/4-5pm PT on ESPN2. The telecasts includes analytics-focused commentary driven by innovative on-screen graphics, data and information provided by StatCast. Additionally, the telecast includes real time Augmented Reality Exit Velocity, Launch Angle and home run probability. The home run coverage and the ball flight is displayed as a 3D animation.

The first-round matchups are:

No. 1 Luis Robert Jr. (White Sox) vs. No. 8 Adley Rutschman (Orioles)
No. 4 Adolis Garcia (Rangers) vs. No. 5 Randy Arozarena (Rays)
No. 2 Pete Alonso (Mets) vs. No. 7 Julio Rodriguez (Mariners)
No. 3 Mookie Betts (Dodgers) vs. No. 6 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Blue Jays)