If the Home Run Derby looks like mere fun and games, that's OK, because, well, it is fun and games. All of the All-Stars, children by their sides, fill foul territory. Tens of thousands of fans fill the stands. Homer landing spots turn into mosh pits. Everyone gawks at the massive dingers. Compared to the sometimes-stuffy environment of a major-league game, the Derby appears to be a relaxed twilight zone.
But don't let that fool you. The Derby is an intense, wildly competitive setting that at least some sluggers treat with all of the seriousness of an actual game _ and this year even more so, with the winner getting $1 million.
Take it from Robinson Cano, who won in 2011, and Todd Frazier, the champ in 2015. They have participated in the homer-hitting competition a combined seven times, thus enabling them to impart wisdom to Mets rookie Pete Alonso and his cousin/thrower Derek Morgan.
