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Being invited to the Home Run Derby is a huge honor, as the players called to participate are viewed as those who can entertain the crowd with their feats of strength from the plate. Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker has been a consistent performer over the past three seasons and deserved his inclusion in the competition, as he has 20 home runs on the year and has hit 89 dingers over the past three years to this point.
Alas, winning in the Home Run Derby isn't just about pure power. It's about concentration, composure, as well as luck. And Rooker will definitely feel hard done by the way he was eliminated from the competition.
With only eventual winner Cal Raleigh left to swing in the first round, it was Rooker who was on the hot seat, as he, at that point, was in fourth place (with only four spots in the semifinal round) after hitting 17 dingers. Raleigh, however, caught fire and hit 17 dingers as well, tying the Athletics DH's tally.
Alas, there was no swing-off to be had, as MLB decided to give the semifinal nod to Raleigh, who hit the farthest home run between the two of them, beating Rooker's farthest dinger by a fraction of a foot (Raleigh's farthest dinger went 470.62 feet, while Rooker's went 470.54.)
Understandably, this caused a major uproar on social media, with many feeling as though the Athletics DH was given the short end of the stick.
“Oh man, Rooker gets bounced from the next round despite hitting 17 HR, same as Cal Raleigh, based on longest distance, and get this: Rooker's longest was 470.54, Raleigh's 470.61. Recount! Or swing off! Something like that, seriously? Inches difference?!” Susan Slusser of the SF Chronicle wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“It was fun seeing Raleigh win tonight but Manfred screwed over Rooker. Supposedly 8/100th of inch to advance over just having a tiebreaker?” @MarkHokeShow furthered.
“Rooker was robbed they wanted the big a** story and [cheated] to get it,” @nyybrxbomber added.
Athletics' Brent Rooker has his head held high despite defeat
Rooker also played a part in his own demise. Had he not taken two pitches prior to the start of the clock, he would have had two more chances to hit one dinger, which would have eliminated Raleigh regardless.
Nevertheless, the Athletics DH is a good sport, as he expressed just how much fun he had even if the rules caught him off guard by a bit.
“It was super fun, like I said, a great experience that I’m glad I got,” Rooker said, via Anne Rogers of MLB.com.
