Big changes are on the way for the Home Run Derby, one of Major League Baseball’s most anticipated All-Star week events. According to a report by The Athletic on Wednesday, the Derby is set to abandon the timed format in favor of a fixed number of swings.
In this revamped format, participants will take 20 swings in the first round. The number of swings decreases to 15 for both the second and third rounds, adding an extra layer of strategy to the competition.
Adding a thrilling twist, batters who hit a home run on their final swing of any round will continue to bat until they fail to hit a homer.
For instance, if a player hits a home run on their 20th swing during the first round, they can keep swinging until they miss, potentially racking up additional home runs.
For example, if a player hits a homer on the 20th swing of the first round, they keep taking swings until they record an out.
The top four finishers of the eight-player pool from the first round will advance to the second round, where the top first-round finisher will face the player with the fewest homers in the first round.
The second and third seeds also will face off to decide the championship matchup.
One of the biggest reasons for the change, according to The Athletic, was the new viewing experience for fans. This year’s derby will be the first on Netflix, and the streamer’s personnel asked for feedback from MLB and players for ways to improve the competition.
With the previous structure utilizing a timer, players said they would get tired trying to take as many swings as possible before the clock expired. Players will now have the ability to build drama and anticipation between swings.
The Home Run Derby has undergone several rule and format changes since the event’s introduction in 1985. From that year through 2014, the competition used some form of an outs-based system. In 2015 at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, MLB introduced the clock to great fanfare.
Fans will see the newest setup in action in the 2026 Home Run Derby, scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern on July 13 at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park.
None of the eight participants has been announced, though Yankees slugger Ben Rice said this week that he “would love” to be part of the homer show.