Cal Raleigh Makes History with Home Run Derby Victory

Cal Raleigh of Seattle clinched his inaugural All-Star Home Run Derby title Monday night, triumphing over Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero with a score of 18-15. Raleigh entered the break leading the majors with 38 home runs, solidifying his status as a breakout slugger.

In a nail-biting first round, Raleigh advanced via a tiebreaker, edging out Brent Rooker of the Athletics by a mere inch. He then dominated the semifinals, defeating Pittsburgh's Oneil Cruz 19-13. Cruz had earlier impressed with a remarkable 513-foot drive, the longest of the night, soaring over Truist Park's right-center field seats.

As the final round unfolded, Caminero, hitting second, quickly closed the gap with three home runs, including a sharp liner to left field. However, Raleigh's performance was historic; he became the first catcher and switch-hitter to win the Derby, joining Ken Griffey Jr. as the only Mariners player to achieve this feat.

Raleigh's father, Todd, a former coach at Tennessee and Western Carolina, pitched to him during the event, while his younger brother, Todd Raleigh Jr., caught. This familial support added a personal touch to an already electrifying competition.

Raleigh's strategy involved hitting eight home runs left-handed before taking a timeout and switching to right-handed for seven more. He returned to lefty for the bonus round and maintained that stance through both the semifinals and finals.

Caminero had previously defeated Minnesota's Byron Buxton 8-7 in the other semifinal. The first round saw Atlanta's Matt Olson, Washington's James Wood, New York Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Rooker all eliminated early in the competition.

In an impressive display of power, Cruz and Caminero each launched 21 homers in the opening round, while Buxton followed closely with 20. Raleigh and Rooker both hit 17 but Raleigh advanced due to a tiebreaker based on their longest home runs—470.61 feet for Raleigh compared to Rooker's 470.53 feet.

Cruz's hardest hit ball registered at an astonishing 118 mph. Notably, the longest home run recorded since Statcast began tracking in 2016 was Juan Soto's 520-foot blast at Denver's Coors Field in 2021. Last year’s longest drive was a 473-foot shot by Atlanta's Marcell Ozuna in Arlington.

Wood managed to hit 16 homers, including a notable 486-foot shot that landed on the roof of the Chop House behind right field. Olson faced disappointment in front of his hometown fans, failing to hit deep on his first nine swings and finishing with just 15 homers—marking another early exit after being eliminated in the first round in 2021.

Chisholm struggled significantly, hitting only three homers—the fewest since the timer format was introduced in 2015.