Hunt and Peck

Was there CHEATING during the Home Run Derby? - A Hunt and Peck

A good ole fashion, very stupid “controversy”.

By lil_scooter93 Jul 17, 2018, 1:00pm EDT

St Louis Cardinals v Washington Nationals

The Home Run Derby took place Monday night with Bryce Harper taking the title in Washington D.C. As you are probably aware, the format of The Derby had changed, making it a tournament-style competition, pitting the players against one another in head-to-head showdowns. After getting past Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy, Harper was slated to face Cubs Kyle Schwarber, who squeaked by Alex Bregman and Rhys Hoskins in what looked like the tougher side of the bracket.

The two sluggers squared off, with Schwarber clubbing eighteen homers to start the final round. Things looked bleak for Harper, who needed eight runs with around a minute to go.

But then he clubbed nine homers in ten swings, winning the derby in front of his home crowd in style.

However, some fans claim the Harper and his pitcher, his father, did not wait for the previous home run to land before throwing the next pitch. Of course, no one else cares because it is the Home Run Derby and it was awesome, but that is a thing happening. That seems pretty difficult to time. It does raise the question: did the Harpers cheat?

No.

To expand, timing when to throw the ball with when the hit ball lands is nearly impossible. The spirit of this rule, if it even exists, is clearly to allow fans to see what happened without the risk of missing something. Every pitcher was a little early on their next pitch. Grant demonstrates this in his post.

Another result of The Derby? The Nationals will be giving out massively discounted tickets:

Pssst ... take $1 off #Nats tix for every HR Bryce hits during the #HRDerby

Code: DERBY

(Yes, really.) Watch tonight. Buy tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/5uYDe1nYuf
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 16, 2018

He hit forty-five home runs.

Author’s note: I feel the need to point out that my post was originally structured just like this article from Grant Brisbee, but he went and published his before mine so I changed mine. I am not pleased about it.

A Derby That Delivered the Goods | FanGraphs Baseball

Home Run Derby 2018 results: Bryce Harper wins thrilling contest | SBNation.com

Home Run Derby 2018: Bryce Harper’s dad, Ron Harper, helps son win | SBNation.com

Did Bryce Harper and his dad cheat to win the 2018 Home Run Derby? | SBNation.com

Home Run Derby 2018: Bryce Harper’s dad, Ron Harper, helps son win | SBNation.com

Previewing the 2018 Home Run Derby | FanGraphs Baseball

Bryce Harper makes Nats pay after awesome Home Run Derby | Yahoo Sports

Bryce Harper Wins Extremely Kick-Ass Home Run Derby | Deadspin

Round-by-round Home Run Derby results | MLB.com