Final Evening in Baseball: Oneil Cruz Did not Win the Residence Run Derby (However We Did)

There is always baseball happening — almost too much baseball for one person to handle themselves.

That’s why we’re here to help, though, by sifting through the previous days’ games, and figuring out what you missed, but shouldn’t have. Here are all the best moments from last night’s Home Run Derby. 

Take a bow, Cruz

Sure, Oneil Cruz was not the 2025 Home Run Derby champion — that honor went to the Big Dumper himself, Cal Raleigh — but that’s only because each round’s winner is determined by the number of home runs hit, not how many players were left wide-eyed and staring at the longest dingers they’ve ever seen. 

The Pirates’ outfielder put on an absolute show in his two rounds of the Derby. In the first round, he hit 21 homers, including one that… well, we’ll get there, let’s work up to that. A good thing to remember is that Oneil Cruz is responsible for the two hardest-hit balls of the StatCast era, and that the second of those — hit earlier in 2025 — was hit so obviously hard that you don’t even need the “Statcast era” qualifier there. You can feel comfortable saying that it’s the hardest-hit ball ever.

And if you weren’t before, well, after watching Cruz on Monday in the Derby, surely your comfort has grown. In the first round, Cruz hit a ball 488 feet and 113 mph off the bat.

In the second round, Cruz — while facing eventual champion Raleigh — blasted one out of the stadium entirely. Enjoy Junior Caminero’s look of complete disbelief at the end of this clip — considering Caminero made it to the finals himself, that says something about the shot.

But both of those pale in comparison to Cruz’s longest ball. A 513-foot blast that tied the Derby record for longest non-Coors Field home run. That might not sound impressive, but it’s Coors: you have to adjust for it if you want your analysis to be taken seriously, you know. Really, the only reaction you should have to said adjustment is “I wonder how far Oneil Cruz would hit a Home Run Derby long ball at Coors Field?”

Anyway: 513 feet. It’s really far.

If you’d like to watch Cruz’s entire first round, MLB posted that video. Other players might have gone further in the event, but Cruz is certainly going to be the topic of conversation for years to come. How could he not be, considering?

Wood leaves Truist

Oneil Cruz wasn’t the only player to hit the ball entirely out of Truist Park, however. Nationals’ slugger James Wood did so, too, fooling the camera in the process.

Look up, camera, that ball was still flying further than you were giving it credit for.

Robbery! 

Maybe all the kids running around in the outfield forgot themselves while dodging flying Oneil Cruz projectiles, but you’re not supposed to rob any of these players of a home run! And yet, it happened to Caminero in the finals against Raleigh.

To this kid’s credit, that was a nice catch. It’s just not supposed to have happened! And speaking of credit, luckily, Caminero still had another homer added to his total. The Rays’ slugger was also in good humor about the grab, as he told MLB through an interpreter that, “Things happen. He was enjoying himself out there too. He did something he thought was fun and it was fine.”

Splash!

Time to give some love to the champ. Big Dumper hit a ton of homers, of course, that’s how you win the Derby in the first place, but let’s give some shine to some specific shots. First up: a splash homer.

More parks should have water features. And more players should then hit baseballs into those water features.

Switch-dingering

Cal Raleigh was the favorite — and eventual winner — in the 2025 Home Run Derby, but not just because he entered the event leading MLB in home runs. It’s also because Raleigh is a switch-hitter who has more power from the left side, and Truist Park is one that favors lefty power hitters. 

Even though that’s the case, Raleigh still decided to bat righty for part of the event. Hey, you take a lot of swings over the course of a Home Run Derby, and being able to switch it up can help alleviate some of the issues that’d otherwise arise from that.

He’s more than just a Big Dumper, Raleigh was a man with a plan. And a champion, at that.

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