Hartford Chosen to Host US Debut of MLB’s Home Run Derby X

Well, it's not the Arizona Coyotes and the NHL coming back, but a piece of the Major League Baseball machine is coming to Connecticut this Summer. If you can hit home runs, you may be able to try to do it standing alongside a couple of World Champions: Nick Swisher from the New York Yankee Nick Swisher and Jonny Gomes from the Boston Red Sox.

Get our free mobile app

Gomes and Swisher have been announced as the first participants, and Hartford's Dunkin' Park is the location for Major League Baseball's Home Run Derby X. The event will take place on Friday, August 11, 2023. The Home Run Derby has always been my favorite event of MLB's All-Star Weekend, and this event will be kind of like it, but different in big ways.

Home Run Derby X is a co-ed event, if you're good at hitting the long ball, you could try out to be a part of one of the teams. Each team will consist of 4 players, with one professional on each team, and each team will have 3 hitters and 1 pitcher. Each hitter will have 2 1/2 minutes to smack as many homers as they can, but if an opposing player catches a flub, it scores for the defense. There are also ways to score a few bonus points, like hitting a target in the field, or hot streaks.

Home Run Derby X debuted last year in London, Mexico City, and Seoul, and now MLB is partnering up with some of their minor league affiliates to bring this event here, and Hartford is it's first stop.