My favorite event during the All-Star festivities is the Home Run Derby. The contest is one of the best things ever created. We love to see the long ball from the game’s best hitters. The 1995 Home Run Derby featured some of the best hitters with some new faces. Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramirez, Frank Thomas, Raul Mondesi, Albert Belle, Reggie Sanders, Ron Gant, and Mo Vaughn were the participants in the event.
The Home Run Derby rules were different back in the 90s. Here are the rules:
• Any swing is either a home run or an out
• 1st Round: 10 outs per hitter (Top 4 advance)
• 2nd Round: 10 outs per hitter (Top 2 advance)
• Final Round: 5 outs per hitter
In Round One, Indians’ Manny Ramirez, who made his Home Run Derby debut, looked slightly nervous. He was swinging at almost everything. He finished the round with three home runs. On the other side, sluggers Frank Thomas, Albert Belle, Ron Gant, and Mo Vaughn advance to the second round.
Belle put on a show in the second round, but Thomas had an answer for him as well. Belle and Thomas would face off in the final round. Two great right-handed hitters can demolish a baseball out of the ballpark—two men who were in the prime of their careers. Thomas would go on to win the Derby, 3-2.