The Athletics might not be in the playoff spotlight, but slugger Brent Rooker gave the franchise a surge of relevance during the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby. Representing the A’s, Rooker matched Cal Raleigh in first-round home runs at Truist Park in Atlanta—only to be eliminated by the narrowest margin in Derby history.
The elimination of Rooker in the first round became a major storyline across baseball, as he fell to Raleigh by just 0.96 inches in a tiebreaker determined by Statcast. Both sluggers hit the same number of home runs, but Raleigh’s longest shot of 470.6171 feet narrowly topped Rooker’s 470.5335-foot blast. The first-round loss ignited widespread debate about the fairness and transparency of the current Home Run Derby format.
Speaking to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle after the event, Rooker didn’t hold back when asked if the process felt fair.
“You know, maybe if they have it to the decimal point, they should display that during the Derby and not wait till everyone's done to bring out that information that might be helpful.”
Slusser posted the quote to X, formerly Twitter, capturing Rooker’s calm but pointed critique of the lack of transparency in real-time data display.
That frustration quickly spread across social media. Awful Announcing shared a video highlighting just how razor-thin the margin truly was.
"Cal Raleigh advanced because of this tiebreaker: 0.96 inches. Longest home run over Brent Rooker." #MLB #HomeRunDerby pic.twitter.com/cJkCUiyDLf
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 15, 2025
“Cal Raleigh advanced because of this tiebreaker: 0.96 inches. Longest home run over Brent Rooker.”
The Derby controversy escalated when Bleacher Report drew attention to the inch-wide difference that ultimately decided the tiebreaker.
“Cal Raleigh beat Brent Rooker to advance to the next round in the HR Derby by INCHES”
Historically, the Derby used swing-offs to settle ties, creating more drama and fan engagement. In contrast, the use of decimal-point home run distance, while precise, has struck many as robotic and anticlimactic.
Rooker’s suggestion goes beyond personal disappointment. It highlights a broader issue in modern baseball about how the league balances advanced metrics with viewer experience. Given that Statcast already displays data like launch angle and exit velocity in real time, adding live distance updates could improve transparency and support in-the-moment strategy.
His longest home run might not have been enough to advance him, but it was enough to spark debate.
For now, the Athletics will have to settle for a moral victory—and perhaps a push for MLB to revisit the rules that define its signature events.
