The weekend of July 4th felt like the perfect time for British sports fans to take in some of America’s National Pastime - and Major League Baseballl’s Home Run Derby X was, well, a home run.
Thousands of sun-soaked fans kitted out in their favourite jerseys from teams ranging from the Boston Red Sox to the San Diego Padres flocked to Crystal Palace Park on Saturday. With the weather providing the heat, the four teams - the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Red Sox - created a genuine spectacle that provided high-level baseball entertainment on this side of the Atlantic.
Fans tucked into gourmet hot dogs and Chicago-style pizza while watching the action as the Red Sox faced the Cubs in the first match, pitting Boston legend Jonny Gomes and his team of superstar Paige Halstead, wild card Liv Cooke and rookie Kennard Dawson against Chicago icon Geo Soto, superstar Alex Hugo, wild card Spencer Owen and rookie Jordan Edmonds. It proved to be the perfect start, setting the tone for the competitive day with a tight affair.
Soto put up nine points before Gomes gave the Red Sox a 16-9 lead, and it looked like it would hold until the very end. Cubs Rookie and Great Britain National Team player Edmonds launched five home runs, including one on his second-to-last swing to tie the game at 37. Up stepped Dawson out of Brewton Parker College, and he ensured the Red Sox progressed to the finals with a walk-off winner to clinch it 38-37.
It was a fine start for Gomes and Cooke, the British professional freestyle footballer who holds a number of world records. Representing the Red Sox alongside the 2013 World Series champion, Cooke insisted she simply wanted to win MLB Home Run Derby X amid taking up a completely alien sport.
“I grew up in the north of England where I don't know one person that plays baseball,” Cooke told Mirror Sport . “Of course, I've heard of the Red Sox and the Yankees and the Dodgers and the Cubs because they're the clubs that go above the game.
“You might not know the rules of football, but you know Manchester United - it's the same.
“When they asked me to do this, I got that feeling of getting into a sport from the start - I've never held to a baseball bat in my life. But I thought I do freestyle so my coordination is pretty good.”
The 23-year-old described training for the event as a ‘rollercoaster’, but she was proud of taking part in Home Run Derby X as it is the first mixed gender professional baseball event in history. Cooke added: “Representation matters a lot; I saw that in the football world, growing up watching the guys.
“People can now see women on stage at the Home Run Derby X, when the Women’s Euros are taking place, so young girls can watch and think this is possible. I’m hoping girls in the crowd see women killing it and realise they can do it too.
As for Gomes, he certainly knows a thing or two about developing baseball on an international level. The 41-year-old’s career spanned 14 years as he was drafted in 2003 by the Tampa Bay Rays before retiring after spending the 2016 campaign representing the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
“I'm super fortunate to have played for quite a few teams, but the Red Sox are just different right? They got the global fan base, and Fenway Park is like a museum,” Games told Mirror Sport , showcasing the aura the Red Sox have. “I was fortunate such a great organisation reached out and got me during in free agency.
“Japan was awesome. It's so weird how it's the same game same rules as Major League Baseball, but yet it can be such a different game. It really helped me expand my baseball IQ.
“If there's two things that I love, it's playing baseball and travelling - so to be able to put these two platforms together is great.”
The second game saw Yankees legend Nick Swisher utilise his energy to hype up the crowd as he raised a special bat emblazoned with the Union Jack above his head to great applause from the crowd. The 2009 World Series champion hit 22 points off 13 home runs and, along with softball superstar Erika Piancastrelli, led the Yankees to a 61-41 win over the Dodgers.
Los Angeles would finally get off the ground and claim a win in the third-place playoff, crushing the Cubs 53-38. With trips to Seoul and Mexico City, this clash could prove crucial as a Gonzalez-inspired Dodgers outfit romped to the win as their legend crushed a record 23 points in a single round, showing off the form that saw him compete for Mexico at the Olympics in Tokyo last summer.
Ultimately, the finals were set. Just like the two iconic franchises did in 2019, the Yankees and Red Sox were to do battle in London.
The Red Sox started brightly as Gomes put up 18 points before Swisher countered with 13 of his own. During the Yankees legend’s innings, Gomes snagged a pair of catches including a stunning diving grab before Halstead put up five points.
Enter Piancastrelli. The Italian Olympian smashed six home runs and scored 12 points in total for the Yankees, narrowing the deficit as the Red Sox led 28-27 at the halfway stage. Cooke put up a point before Daniel Corral scored two home runs. Dawson, the final player for Boston, added 10 points but gave up catch points as Piancastelli made a sensational diving catch.
It meant it was all up to London-born slugger Richard Brereton. After smashing two early home runs, Brereton quickly called for his hot streak - where he hit three double-point homers. With one final swing, Brereton lifted the ball over the wall and gave the Yankees the monumental 42-40 victory.
Piancastelli was adequately named MVP for the event as the Yankees won the inaugural MLB Home Run Derby X. The fans didn’t appear to mind who won: they attended the event to see home runs, enjoy an entertaining day out and pick up an interest in baseball. To that end, it was a successful venture for MLB as they continue to broaden their horizons - lets hope another match akin to the Yankees-Red Sox spectacle of three years ago is next.
Credit: To find out more, check out mlb.com/HomeRunDerbyX. You can follow the full Home Run Derby X Tour at @mlb and @MLBEurope.
