Athletics star Brent Rooker takes shot at MLB after Home Run Derby defeat

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19 hours ago

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, Major League Baseball's current home run leader, won the 2025 Home Run Derby on Monday night. It was a fitting moment for the game's best catcher, compiling another accomplishment during the best season of his career.
And yet, he was unfathomably close to joining the long list of Derby favorites to finish without a trophy.
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Raleigh and Athletics star Brent Rooker both hit 17 home runs in the first round at Truist Park. Both had hit their longest home run at 471 feet. Rather than a swing-off to break the tie, MLB turned to the microscope, finding that Raleigh's homer traveled 470.62 feet, compared to Rooker's 470.54 feet.
Rooker isn't alone in his skepticism
That, undeniably, is a rough way to lose. It's also not a very entertaining one. Fans traveled to Atlanta and turned to ESPN to watch the game's best players hit home runs, even if it meant enduring a subpar broadcasting effort (the Statcast version on ESPN2 rightfully received much warmer reviews).
What's the harm in taking a few more swings in the Cobb County night?
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Rooker spoke after the Derby about his defeat with some not-so-subtle pointers for MLB.
"Yeah, that's interesting,' Rooker said, via Anne Rogers. 'Last I knew, we were both at 471, because that's obviously the number they put up there. Maybe if they go to the decimal point, they should display that during the Derby and not wait until everyone's done to bring out that information. That might be helpful.'
"... It is what it is. Obviously had a great time out there. Cal's a great competitor. He put on a good performance, too. Rules are the rules in terms of what makes up the semifinals.'
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There is no evidence to suggest that the league is rigging exhibition events. But if conspiracy theorists were tuning in, MLB didn't do a great job of exonerating itself.
The graphic displaying just how slim the margins were went to 10 decimal places. In essence, the broadcast expected fans to believe that it can be precise to the 10 billionth of an inch.
It can't.
Statcast and the technological booms that made baseball as scientific as it is today have changed the sport for the better and are far more reliable than alternatives. But they aren't perfect and often consist of margins of error. Between minute differences in each baseball, atmospheric conditions at any moment, and several other factors, there's no guarantee a distance projection to the inch is perfect, much less orders of magnitude smaller.
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The graphic, more than anything else, was much like the Derby itself, good-natured and entertaining, if also imperfect. In either event, it's worth noting that Rooker handled his defeat amicably, despite his criticism.
"No, no, no, no. Not at all,' Rooker said, regarding potential frustration. 'It was super fun, like I said, a great experience that I'm glad I got.'
Raleigh, with his father pitching and brother catching, put on a show. Rooker, for a round, was right there with him. The two will get to have another Derby of sorts in late July when the Mariners visit the Athletics' West Sacramento launching pad.
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