Major League Baseball today announced that Home Run Derby X, an exciting new baseball format built around power hitting and defensive hustle, will be on display in four U.S. cities in August and September.

MLB legends Andruw Jones, Jake Arrieta, Dexter Fowler, Nick Swisher, Ian Desmond, and Jonny Gomes will be joined by stars from softball and women’s baseball, including Jocelyn Alo, Mia Davidson-Smith, Alex Hugo, Ashton Lansdell, and Paige Halstead for these Home Run Derby X 2024 stops (the full roster of players participating in specific cities will be announced at a later date):

• August 10, Parkview Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana, home of the High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps (Padres)
• August 23, Isotopes Park, Albuquerque, New Mexico, home of the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes (Rockies)
• August 31, First Horizon Park, Nashville, Tennessee, home of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds (Brewers)
• September 7, Durham Bulls Athletic Park, Durham, North Carolina, home of the Triple-A Durham Bulls (Rays)

MLB Home Run Derby X is an exciting 3-on-3 co-ed competition built around power-hitting and defensive hustle. Events in each city feature four teams, each led by an MLB legend and female player from softball and women’s baseball.

Perspectives

Don't look now, but the Washington Nationals have a sneaky good rotation at the moment

Richard • May 17, 2024

It shouldn’t be a surprise for fans of the Washington Nationals that pitching has always been the team's cornerstone; however, over the past few years, the pitching staff has, let’s say, been less than stellar. But with the 2024 MLB season already past the quarter mark, the Washington Nationals’ pitching rotation has been sneaky good so far.

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HRDX is a Home Run Derby with defense. A single game takes about 30 minutes. Each player gets one at-bat of two minutes and thirty seconds. During an at-bat, the opposing team is in the outfield to make catches. Teams earn offensive points for home runs and defensive points for catches. At the end of the game, the team with the most points wins.

Bonus points are earned by hitting home runs through a centerfield target. Batters can call for a hot streak of 5 swings during each at-bat where everything counts double. Batters can tag in a teammate to finish with a flourish in the final minute of an at-bat.

“After participating in Home Run Derby X last year, I can’t wait to get back on the stage and hit some bombs for the fans in these four great baseball cities,” Swisher said. “The energy and excitement at both events last year was amazing and I was so excited to hear MLB is adding additional stops this year. The fans are going to love it!”

“After seeing the video of last year’s events and hearing what a great time the players had last year, I was very excited to be asked to be part of Home Run Derby X this year,” said Jones. “The fans won’t want to miss this cool version of baseball, and I can’t wait to swing for the fences.”

Player Profiles

• Alo is the NCAA all-time leader in home runs (122) and slugging percentage (.987) following a decorated career at the University of Oklahoma, where she was the 2022 Big 12 Conference Female Athlete of the Year, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 Women’s College World Series and a two-time National Player of the Year. She was a 2022 USA Softball Women’s National Team member and won a 2022 ESPY for Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports.
• Davidson-Smith starred at Mississippi State University, where she was the 2022 NFCA Catcher of the Year and a unanimous First-Team All-America selection. She finished her Bulldog career third in NCAA history with a SEC-record 92 home runs.
• Hugo, who currently serves as a roving instructor in the Oakland Athletics organization, returns to the HRDX circuit after participating last year. She is a four-time member of the USA Women’s Baseball National Team and became the first two-time winner of the USA Baseball Sportswoman of the Year Award. In her college career at the University of Kansas and the University of Georgia, she launched 71 home runs.
• Lansdell returns to HRDX 2024 after playing her first college softball season at Florida International University. Lansdell played baseball exclusively in high school and at Georgia Highlands College, where she became the first woman to play baseball at the National Junior College Athletic Association level.
• Halstead won a 2019 NCAA National Championship as a catcher at UCLA. She has been a member of the USA Women’s National Softball team, where she won a gold medal in the 2017 World Cup of Softball and silver medals in the 2016 and 2017 World Cup of Softball.
• Jones, a 17-year Major Leaguer, won 10 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards, a Silver Slugger Award, and was a five-time All-Star. Arrieta, who returns to HRDX, pitched for 12 years in the big leagues, winning the 2015 National League Cy Young Award, a Silver Slugger Award, and was a 2016 National League All-Star as he helped the Chicago Cubs to the 2016 World Series championship. Arrieta also threw two no-hitters for the Cubs.
• Fowler, a 14-year veteran, was an NL All-Star in 2016 with the Cubs. He starred in center field for the Cubs’ World Championship team.
• Desmond, who returns to HRDX for a second year, spent 11 years in the big leagues and was a two-time All-Star (2012 with Washington and 2016 with Texas) and three-time Silver Slugger.
• Swisher, a 12-year MLB veteran, also returns to HRDX 2024 after participating in the 2023 U.S. tour. He was a 2010 American League All-Star for the New York Yankees after helping them to the 2009 World Series championship.
• Gomes, another returnee from the HRDX 2023 tour, played 13 years in the Major Leagues and helped Boston to the 203 World Series Championship.

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