It is every baseball fan’s dream to catch a homerun ball. Fans have been known to go to great lengths to get those coveted balls. Sometimes knocking over bystanders, jumping rows of seats, falling into the field and more.
At this year’s All-Star game, fans will be in rare form as they add water to the mix. Fans will hit the water in canoes, kayaks and boats, armed with fishing nets, in hopes of catching a baseball in San Francisco’s McCovey Cove.
Beyond right field of AT&T Park is a section of the San Francisco Bay named McCovey Cove after the Giants famous first baseman Willey McCovey. McCovey played 19 seasons for the Giants. He was nicknamed “Stretch." He was the National League MVP in 1969 when he hit 45 homeruns, had 126 RBIs and batted .320. Before the park was extended, the area behind right field was made up of three bleacher sections and a lot of open space. Fans would gather there in hopes of catching one of McCovey’s homerun hits.
When the park was built, it was thought that there would be countless “Splash Hits" flying into the bay. However, there has only been a little over 50 with 34 coming from the Giants homerun king, Barry Bonds. On average, there are about 7 homeruns a season that splash into the bay. But tonight, fans hope that changes. The Homerun Derby has been known for years as a glorified batting practice and it should be interesting how many make it into the Cove.
ESPN has added a hand-held “Scuba Cam" positioned in the water ready for the event. The Coast Guard has said restrictions will be made on the amount of people allowed in the Cove for the event due to safety reasons, but a limit has not been set.
Giants top slugger Bonds is not participating in the Homerun Derby. Most speculate that he thinks he is above that. Others feel he just wouldn’t be able to contend with the best of the best. Bonds is currently on track to break Hank Aaron’s homerun record of 755 homeruns and might not want any distractions. For whatever the reason, he is not competing this year.
So who is competing for the Homerun Derby Champion Title? Detroit's Magglio Ordonez, Anaheim's Vladimir Guerrero, Minnesota's Justin Morneau and Toronto’s Alex Rios form the AL squad. Representatives from the National League include St. Louis' Albert Pujols, Milwaukee's Prince Fielder and defending champion Ryan Howard from Philadelphia.
Ryan Howard took home the trophy in 2006 with 24 homeruns. Who will win this year is up to the Baseball Gods. But it is sure to be a show as players hit for the Cove.
So what are the rules and how is a champion decided? Players compete in three rounds to make it to the trophy. According to mlb.com, the rules are as follows:
Opening Round
• Each player gets 10 outs to hit as many home runs as possible.
• The four players with the most home runs hit in the Opening Round advance to the Semi-Final Round.
Semi-Final Round
• Home runs totals from the first round will carry over to the second round.
• Each player gets 10 outs to hit as many home runs as possible per at bat.
• The two players with the most home runs in the Semi-Final Round advance to the Championship Round.
Championship Round
• Home runs from the first two rounds do not carry over to the Championship Round; Opening and Semi-Final Round totals are cleared from the board.
• Each player gets 10 outs to hit as many home runs as possible.
• The player who hits the most home runs in the Championship Round is declared the CENTURY 21 Home Run Derby champion.
Rules
• An out is registered when a player swings at a pitch and does not hit a home run.
• A ball hit over the fence must be fair to count as a home run.
Check out ESPN tonight to watch fans swim for the swarm of balls!
