You Should Watch the Home Run Derby
It's fun and you, and Cal Raleigh, deserve it
Major League Baseball is in constant tension between its commitment to old-school, humble grinders and the allure of more exuberant superstars. For most of its history, it’s lionized the former and finger-wagged at the latter. There is no game that takes more masochistic joy in relentlessness, often at the expense of spontaneous joy or self-expression. And that’s made it less fun for fans who want to watch a game for entertainment, rather than an extended metaphor about the human condition.
And the game has been forced to fucking relax a bit. In order to grow its fanbase, MLB has had to embrace a little more joy: allowing colorful accessories and elaborate home-run celebrations, and adopting the mantra “let the kids play.” Hell, even the punishingly self-serious Yankees will let you grow a beard now.
No one play in the sport epitomizes joy more than the home run. An out-of-the-park blast is like a good joke: a sudden surprise that serves as a catalyst for pure, triumphant pleasure. And the Derby is the one annual event where MLB has unabashedly embraces showmanship and individual effort.
Cal Raleigh is, in many ways, an old school ball fan’s ideal player. He’s a grinder, a blue-collar coded everyday player whose work ethic is lauded in every profile written about him—which, this year, has been many. He hasn’t shirked the lime light but hasn’t seemed entirely comfortable with it, either. When he was named the starting catcher for the All Star Game and brought on to the Derby roster, the first thing Cal did was apologize to his teammates for the constant media attention. He doesn’t love hoisting the Mariners’ celebratory trident over the top of the dugout to get a fan reaction like pitcher Logan Gilbert, or engage in an elaborate choreography with it, including pointing it at the camera to involve the fans watching at home, like Randy Arozarena, or sprint to be the one to hand the trident off to others like Julio Rodriguez. Mostly, he doesn’t have the time—Cal usually has to start putting all his catcher gear back on and huddle with the pitcher to prep for the next inning.
But despite his commitment to a team-first mentality, Cal has been in the midst of a singular personal season. He’s hit 38 home runs. That’s a record for any catcher in the history of Major League Baseball, and just one home run shy of the Barry Bonds’ 39 homers before the All Star break.
Today in Atlanta, Cal has just one job: launch baseballs into the stands at Truist Park and do it better and more often than anyone else.
The most recent Mariner to compete in the derby is Julio Rodriguez. Drafted by the Ms in 2017 at the age of 16, Julio was seen as the second coming of Ken Griffey Jr. He evoked Griffey1, not just in his effortless swing and remarkable range at center field, but in his natural buoyancy. He brings boundless joy and passion to the field, every day.
That isn’t exactly a Seattle thing. The Emerald City isn’t fun, really; it’s a beautiful place that’s more often than not cloaked in perpetual gray. It’s best known for exporting rage rock and software. It’s a union town at heart that lionizes selfless effort and moral victories. Our most successful current sports team won its championship with defense, which is the most Seattle thing ever.
But in 2023, the unofficial capital of the Pacific Northwest hosted the All Star Game and the Home Run Derby. Julio Rodriguez had thrilled Los Angeles during the Home Run Derby the previous year, when he won AL Rookie of the Year and belted 81 home runs over three rounds into Chavez Ravine. Now, he was excited to thrill the crowd and show the world what was happening up in our little corner of the country. And did he ever.
That night, Julio did something unprecedented: he stepped to the plate for the first round and hit 41 home runs in 3 minutes. His swing was so beautiful, his power so incontestable, his desire so naked. Julio might not be the superstar that Seattle deserves, but he’s who we’re lucky enough to have, and when he took a time out mid-way through this blockbuster homer-hitting session, the crowd let him know. Tens of thousands of fans packed in the stadium leapt to their feet, letting the world know who is ours: “JUL-I-O! JUL-I-O!”
Julio hasn’t been as electric this season as he, and fans, have come to expect. And when he was recently selected as an All Star for the third time, an ugly undercurrent of bullshit swept through the Mariners fanbase. Conversations about whether his statistical output thus far this season merited an All Star nod were plagued by hysterical (and at times, frankly, racist) calls for him to be sent down to Triple A.
Amid that swirling negativity, Julio made the choice to sit out the All Star game and stay home to rest and prepare for the second half of the season. Immediately after making the announcement, Julio took the field in Detroit against the Tigers and led the Mariners in scoring 35 runs over three games, sweeping the hottest team in the league. At the risk of over-armchair-analyzing, it seems like Julio might some relief at letting Cal step in to represent the Ms, and carry all the glory and the pressure that comes with it.
⚾ 🔱
Cal seems ready for the moment. He’ll be trying to become the first catcher, and first switch-hitter, to ever win the Derby. On the mound will be his dad, longtime college baseball coach Todd Raleigh. And behind the plate, catching for the man putting together one of the best catcher seasons of all time, will be his younger brother, 15-year-old Todd Jr. We know the Derby was a childhood dream; earlier this week, Todd Sr. released a video of 10-year-old Cal chanting, “I’m the winner of the Home Run Derby!” He’s made no secret of his desire to compete. Now, tonight, he’ll get his chance. Cameras will be swirling, fans will be learning his name—well, probably his nickname—and the only thing I hope is that we see Cal actually smile and take it all in.
It takes vulnerability to want to be great, and to try your best. With Julio, Ms fans got the chance to acknowledge that and express gratitude. I hope we get the chance to welcome back a conquering hero. Someone whose personal achievement somehow, some way makes it more okay for us to stand in our moments, too.
In the Home Run Derby, the joy is the point.
⚾ 🔱
📺 You can watch the Home Run Derby tonight at 5 pm PT / 8 pm ET on ESPN or MLB.TV
Incidentally, Ken Griffey Jr. is the only three-time winner of the Home Run Derby