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Last Night in Baseball: Oneil Cruz Didn't Win the Home Run Derby (But We Did)

Last Night in Baseball: Oneil Cruz Didn't Win the Home Run Derby (But We Did)

Fox Sports15-07-2025
There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to handle themselves.
That's why we're here to help, though, by sifting through the previous days' games, and figuring out what you missed, but shouldn't have. Here are all the best moments from last night's Home Run Derby. Take a bow, Cruz
Sure, Oneil Cruz was not the 2025 Home Run Derby champion — that honor went to the Big Dumper himself, Cal Raleigh — but that's only because each round's winner is determined by the number of home runs hit, not how many players were left wide-eyed and staring at the longest dingers they've ever seen.
The Pirates' outfielder put on an absolute show in his two rounds of the Derby. In the first round, he hit 21 homers, including one that… well, we'll get there, let's work up to that. A good thing to remember is that Oneil Cruz is responsible for the two hardest-hit balls of the StatCast era, and that the second of those — hit earlier in 2025 — was hit so obviously hard that you don't even need the "Statcast era" qualifier there. You can feel comfortable saying that it's the hardest-hit ball ever.
And if you weren't before, well, after watching Cruz on Monday in the Derby, surely your comfort has grown. In the first round, Cruz hit a ball 488 feet and 113 mph off the bat.
In the second round, Cruz — while facing eventual champion Raleigh — blasted one out of the stadium entirely. Enjoy Junior Caminero's look of complete disbelief at the end of this clip — considering Caminero made it to the finals himself, that says something about the shot.
But both of those pale in comparison to Cruz's longest ball. A 513-foot blast that tied the Derby record for longest non-Coors Field home run . That might not sound impressive, but it's Coors: you have to adjust for it if you want your analysis to be taken seriously, you know. Really, the only reaction you should have to said adjustment is "I wonder how far Oneil Cruz would hit a Home Run Derby long ball at Coors Field?"
Anyway: 513 feet. It's really far.
If you'd like to watch Cruz's entire first round, MLB posted that video. Other players might have gone further in the event, but Cruz is certainly going to be the topic of conversation for years to come. How could he not be, considering?
Oneil Cruz wasn't the only player to hit the ball entirely out of Truist Park, however. Nationals' slugger James Wood did so, too, fooling the camera in the process.
Look up, camera, that ball was still flying further than you were giving it credit for. Robbery!
Maybe all the kids running around in the outfield forgot themselves while dodging flying Oneil Cruz projectiles, but you're not supposed to rob any of these players of a home run! And yet, it happened to Caminero in the finals against Raleigh.
To this kid's credit, that was a nice catch. It's just not supposed to have happened! And speaking of credit, luckily, Caminero still had another homer added to his total. The Rays' slugger was also in good humor about the grab, as he told MLB through an interpreter that, "Things happen. He was enjoying himself out there too. He did something he thought was fun and it was fine." Splash!
Time to give some love to the champ. Big Dumper hit a ton of homers, of course, that's how you win the Derby in the first place, but let's give some shine to some specific shots. First up: a splash homer.
More parks should have water features. And more players should then hit baseballs into those water features. Switch-dingering
Cal Raleigh was the favorite — and eventual winner — in the 2025 Home Run Derby, but not just because he entered the event leading MLB in home runs. It's also because Raleigh is a switch-hitter who has more power from the left side, and Truist Park is one that favors lefty power hitters.
Even though that's the case, Raleigh still decided to bat righty for part of the event. Hey, you take a lot of swings over the course of a Home Run Derby, and being able to switch it up can help alleviate some of the issues that'd otherwise arise from that.
He's more than just a Big Dumper, Raleigh was a man with a plan. And a champion, at that.
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MLB Trade Deadline: Merrill Kelly, Seth Lugo, and other starting pitchers who could be on the block
MLB Trade Deadline: Merrill Kelly, Seth Lugo, and other starting pitchers who could be on the block

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MLB Trade Deadline: Merrill Kelly, Seth Lugo, and other starting pitchers who could be on the block

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Rich Hill Ties MLB Record Pitching For 14th Team At Age 45
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After 2½ years in Boston, Hill signed with Cleveland, where he pitched one mediocre season. He then signed a minor league deal with Boston (Take #2), but never pitched with the big club before being traded to the Angels in July. He pitched in both ends of a doubleheader for the Halos, facing four batters, giving up a hit, walking three, and adding a wild pitch for good measure. He was released within the week. Hill then signed with the New York Yankees, where he lasted a touch longer – just over three weeks – before being designated for assignment. But the Yankees brought him back when rosters expanded in September, and he pitched in eight games, giving up only one earned run, striking out seven against a single walk. Prior to the 2015 season, Hill signed a minor league contract with the Washington Nationals. When he did not make the major league team by June, he opted out of his contract. And that is when he decided to retreat and regroup. After looking for work for a month (no takers), Hill elected to sign with the Atlantic League Long Island Ducks. He pitched two great games for the New York-based team, whereupon the Red Sox brought him back for a third time. Hill made five minor league starts in Pawtucket before the Red Sox had him come north to Boston. He started four games, going 2-1 with a 1.55 ERA, while striking out 36 strikeouts and walking only five. The next year (2016) he signed with the (then) Oakland Athletics and started Opening Day. In all, he made 20 starts for the A's, compiled a 12-5 record, had a 2.12 ERA, and struck out four times as many batters as he walked. On August 1st, Hill was traded (along with Josh Reddick) to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He started six regular season games for Los Angeles, going 3-2 with a 1.83 ERA. He also made three post-season appearances, including Game 2 of the NLCS that the Dodgers ultimately lost to the eventual World Series champion Cubs. Five weeks after the World Series, the Dodgers signed Hill to a three-year, $48 million contract. After all that career turmoil, this was Hill's first multi-year deal. In his first full season with the Dodgers, Hill made twice as much money as he had in his entire career to that point. When Hill's contract with the Dodgers expired, he signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins for the Covid-shortened 2020 season. In 2021, he signed another one-year deal – this time with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays traded Hill to the Mets at the deadline, and he made 12 starts for his third New York team (Yankees, Mets, and Ducks!). When that season ended, Hill went home again, signing with the Red Sox for the fourth time. After another year in Boston, Hill signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates for 2023. True to form, the Pirates dumped Hill's (massive?) contract, trading him to the San Diego Padres at the deadline. San Diego waived him by mid-September. Hill then decided to take off the first half of 2024. Instead of pitching in the big leagues, he elected to coach his son Brice's 12-year-old Little League team in his hometown of Milton. Hill had three major league offers in the off-season, but decided his son's final year of rec-league ball was more important than playing professional baseball. (Rich and his wife, Caitlin, lost a second son, Brooks, to lissencephaly and congenital nephrotic syndrome, when he was just two months old.) On August 18th of last year, Hill signed with the BoSox for the fifth time, making four appearances and throwing 3-2/3 innings. He was released on September 9th. In May, Hill signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals, and has been playing for their Triple-A affiliate in Omaha. His deal, like the one he signed with Washington ten years earlier, gave him the right to opt out if he was not on the big league roster by June 15th. When he was 35 years old, he exercised that right; now, at age 45, he stuck with the club. And his perspicacity was rewarded on Tuesday night. In a full-circle moment, Hill took the mound at Wrigley Field, the site of his first major league appearance, a mere 20 years ago. He threw 90 pitches over five strong innings, ceding six hits and only one earned run. Unfortunately, Hill took the loss for the Royals. There is no word yet on when (or if) his next start will be. By pitching with the Royals, Hill tied the MLB record (with Edwin Jackson) by playing for his 14th franchise. He became just the 18th pitcher start a game at age 45 or older (Jamie Moyer last did it back in 2012). To put all this in perspective, Hill made that first appearance at Wrigley Field in a game that Greg Maddux started. Maddux was inducted into the Hall of Fame eleven years ago. But looking back to 2005 is so 21st century. Christopher Kamka of Marquee Sports Network decided to give Hill's career even more (19th century) historical context:

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