Home Run Derby format, rule explainer for 2022

The 2022 MLB Home Run Derby is set to take place on Monday, July 18 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The event will begin at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.

The rules and format of the home run derby has varied throughout the years as each competition has brought featured slight tweaks from year’s past. Here, we’ll go over the rules for Monday’s event.

Home Run Derby rules

Eight competitors will compete in the 2022 Home Run Derby and are seeded by the number of home runs they’ve hit through July 13. The field includes No. 1 Kyle Schwarber, No. 2 Pete Alonso, No. 3 Corey Seager, No. 4 Juan Soto, No. 5 Jose Ramirez, No. 6 Julio Rodriguez, No. 7 Ronald Acuna, and No. 8 Albert Pujols. The higher seeds will be matched up against the lower seeds in a three-round, single-elimination bracket.

Each round is timed, with batters trying to belt as many home runs as possible before the clock strikes zero. The competitor with the most amount of home runs in their matchup will advance to the next round while the loser is eliminated. Batters will get three minutes in the first two rounds and just two minutes in the final round.

If there’s a tie in a given matchup, the two combatants will engage in a one-minute swing-off. If there’s a tie after that, the two competitors will engage in a three-pitch swing-off until a winner is determined.

The winner of the Home Run Derby will take home $1 million of the $2.5 million prize pool split among the competitiors.

Here’s how the bracket will be set up:

No. 1 Kyle Schwarber vs. No. 8 Albert Pujols
No. 4 Juan Soto vs. No. 5 Jose Ramirez

No. 2 Pete Alonso vs. No. 7 Ronald Acuna
No. 3 Corey Seager vs. No. 6 Julio Rodriguez