The Major League Baseball Home Run Derby will look a bit different this year.
Evan Drellich and Johnny Flores Jr. of The Athletic report that “hitters will have a number of swings rather than a clock that dictates their turns at the plate.”
This information has not yet been publicly confirmed by MLB, with the league and MLB Players Association declining to comment to The Athletic.
However, “people briefed on the decision who were not authorized to speak publicly” detailed the changes to the outlet.
This would mark the first Home Run Derby without a clock since 2014, Drellich and Flores added.
How many swings will players get in the Home Run Derby?
In the first round, hitters will get 20 swings apiece.
Rounds two and three will include only 15 swings per batter.
There is an “added wrinkle,” though: The final swing is a “swing until you miss” situation, report Drellich and Flores.
“Hitters will be able to continue to swing if they homer on the final hack they take each round, until they make an out,” they wrote. “That means that if a batter goes deep on the 20th pitch of the first round, he gets a chance to hit another. And if he hits a home run on No. 21, he can keep going until he finally swings and the ball doesn’t leave the park.”
There also could be some additional swings for tiebreaker scenarios.
In the first round, the tiebreaker will be longest home run, but after that, ties will be broken by giving each hitter three more swings apiece.
How many batters will be in the Home Run Derby?
Eight players will start the derby, though half of them will be cut after the first round.
“In the second round, the competition turns head-to-head: The top finisher from the first round will face the hitter who hit the fourth-most homers, while the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds will square off, setting up the championship,” The Athletic reports.
The derby will be broadcast on Netflix this year, and it’s set to begin at 5 p.m. PT on July 13 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the home of the 2026 All-Star Game.
