This image captured from Major League Baseball’s official Twitter page on March 31, 2022, shows participants of the upcoming Home Derby X, a global competition with a stop in Seoul on Sept. 17, 2022. Clockwise from the top: former New York Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher, ex-Chicago Cubs catcher Geovany Soto, former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and ex-Boston Red Sox outfielder Jonny Gomes.
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Former major league stars will visit Seoul in September for a global home run derby competition.
Major League Baseball (MLB) announced Wednesday (U.S. time) that its new bracket-style competition, called “Home Run Derby X,” will make a stop in the South Korean capital on Sept. 17.
London will host the event on July 9, and Mexico City will also get its look at former big league sluggers on Oct. 15.
The MLB said the competition will feature four teams representing the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs.
The venue for the Seoul event hasn’t been determined yet.
Each team will have a former big leaguer (Legend), a softball or women’s baseball star (Superstar), a player from the region’s local development system (Rookie) and an influential content creator (Wild Card).
MLB unveiled the list of Legends for each team: Jonny Gomes for the Red Sox, Geovany Soto for the Cubs, Adrian Gonzalez for the Dodgers and Nick Swisher for the Yankees.
The four combined for 832 career big league home runs, led by Gonzalez’s 317. The two-time Silver Slugger Award winner had nine 20-homer seasons, including a career-high 40 in 2009.
Swisher had 245 dingers and nine consecutive 20-homer seasons, beginning in 2005.
In the contest, hitters will swing at 25 pitches and take up to 10 pitches. They will get one point for every home run and also earn points by hitting targets — two of them set up 160 feet from home plate and another two beyond the outfield fence.
The opposition will have players in the outfield, and a catch of any ball that fails to clear the fence is worth a point.
(Yonhap)
