Every child knows that when you want to play baseball, it's enough to prepare these things: a bat, a ball, and a group of friends who can chase the ball back, and that's all you need for a ball game.
Of course, on the MLB arena, there are nine batters, a pair of shooters and seven other defenders, a bench stuffed with a lounge, a few coaches leaning against the fence and a group of fans eating, drinking and watching in the audience. Other than that, they are all things that can be replaced.
This is the spirit of MLB's newly curated Home Run Derby X (HRDX) campaign. Inspired by the popularity and improvisational format of mlb's pre-All-Star home runs, HRDX's goal is to attract new baseball players, create more dynamic event experiences, and create opportunities for digital storytelling. The competition will be held this year in London, England, Seoul, South Korea, and Mexico City, Mexico.
venue
First of all, the venue of HRDX is different from the generally known baseball field. Home runs will be on the stage where they are built, and pitcher mounds will also be placed at high points in the form of a podium, which is one of the focal points of the event. In addition, the stadium will be smaller than the average baseball field, but like the various courses in MLB, the venue of THE HRDX will change depending on the environment.
Detailed locations for HRDX in Seoul and Mexico City have yet to be announced, while the London race will be held at Crystal Palace Park.
rules
In the event, the rhythm of the game will become more compact. In addition to the elevated strike zone, the batter can make a total of 25 swings and can discard 10 balls. In other words, each time a batter stands on the hitting zone, they can see up to 35 balls. And since it's called a home run, the batter's primary goal is to knock the ball out of the home run. However, you can also hit the ball to different targets on the pitch to get the corresponding score. Two targets will be set up 160 feet from home runs, while the other two will be outside the wall of home runs for those power batters to challenge.
Another thing that differs from a regular home run is that the HRDX is defensive. Defenders will deploy defenders in the outfield, and they will also get points when they receive those fly balls that fail to fly over the wall of home runs.
Scoring is actually very simple, every time the attacker hits a home run or hits the target, they will receive one point, and they can also apply for a special bonus for the next five consecutive balls when the hand is hot, and the attacking team will get double the score in these five balls. Defenders, on the other hand, score points simpler, adding a point to their team as long as they receive a flying ball.
HRDX will produce a winning team at each stop, and in the final final of HRDX, the final battle will also be decided by a knockout round to determine the final king of HRDX.
Team configuration
The planned team will be named by four teams with deep history in mlb: the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. Each team will consist of four categories of members: MLB Legends, Superstars, Rookies and Wild Cards. MLB legends are the mlb players who are familiar with them, and they will bring strong batting strength to the team. The superstars are the top players from women's softball and women's baseball, the rookies will be selected from each local baseball development system, and the wild card quota is given to influential content creators.
World Series champion Johnny Gomes, who will represent the Red Sox in HRDX, also expressed his enthusiasm and expectations for the event in an interview: "Whenever you have the opportunity to put on the Red Sox jersey and help promote baseball, please call me!" Touring and hitting a home run are two of my favorite things, so I can't wait to attend HRDX! ”
Among the members of the teams, the "wild cards" have the most interesting responsibilities: they will be the eyes and ears of the fans, leading them to see the usually difficult aspects of professional baseball, such as how professional players train and even prepare to play a home run.
Current roster (rookie list not yet available)
Boston Red Sox
MLB Legends: Jonny Gomes
Superstar: Paige Halstead, a former U.S. softball national team player
Wild card: Liv Cooke, professional fancy footballer
Chicago Bears
MLB Legends: Geovany Soto
Superstar: Alex Hugo, a member of the U.S. women's national baseball team
Wild Card: Spencer Owen, a well-known football content creator
Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB Legend: Adrian Gonzalez
Superstar: Ashton Lansdell, a member of the U.S. women's national baseball team
Wild card: Yoongy Kwak, South Korea's short track speed skater
Yankees, New York
MLB Legends: Nick Swisher
Superstar: Erika Piancastelli, a member of the Italian softball Olympic team
Superstar: Stefania Aradillas, a member of the Mexican softball Olympic team
Wild card: Daniel Corral, Olympic representative of Mexican gymnastics
For Soto, he can't wait to let his kids see him again send the little white ball off the wall of home runs. "The Chicago Cubs signed me when I was 18 and now it's an honour and a privilege for me to have the opportunity to put on the Cubs jersey again for HRDX. I can't wait for my kids to watch me swing my bat and hit a home run! There's nothing better than attending and enjoying a baseball game! ”
What are your thoughts on this new event plan? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section!