Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Falls Short of Home Run Derby Finals

It took a semifinals swing-off to eliminate Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm on Monday night.

Jul 15, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; National League third baseman Alec Bohm of the Philadelphia Phillies (28) bats during the semi finals of the 2024 All Star Game Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas — Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm had the fewest number of home runs among the participants in Monday’s All-Star Game Home Run Derby.

It didn’t seem to worry him. For the first two rounds he proved to be the hardest hitter to eliminate, but Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández pulled it off during a swing-off in the semifinals.

Bohm, without the home run-hitting pedigree of some of the other participants, hit more home runs in the first round than anyone else with 21.

Bohm said he did a couple of dry runs during the last homestand to get used to the new format. He also chose Scott Wingo to pitch to him. Wingo is an assistant coach at Manhattan, but he’s also a good luck charm of sorts. He threw to Bohm when he won the 2016 Coastal Plains League Home Run Derby.

This year’s new format gave each hitter three minutes to hit as many home runs as possible, with a cap of 40 pitches. Bohm took all 40 pitches and hit 20 home runs, a 50% clip, and then added one more home run in bonus time.

Going into the Derby, he didn’t seem concerned about the format.

“I feel pretty comfortable taking 40 swings in a short amount of time,” he said. “Obviously it will get a little tiring. But I don’t think there’s really that much of an advantage or disadvantage.”

That made him the No. 1 seed entering the semifinals against Hernández. The strategy remained simple.

“There’s no secret formula here,” Bohm said. “Just put it over the fence.”

Hernández went first and hit 14 home runs. Bohm started slowly in his round and needed some extra home runs in bonus time. There, hitters can take as many pitches as they want but each ball not hit for a home run counts as an out.

Bohm tied Hernández with a home run on his final out as he almost coaxed it over the fence in left field at Globe Life Park.

That put the two in a swing-off for the right to face Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. in the final.

Each took three swings. Hernández went first and hit home runs on two of them. Bohm failed to hit a home run in his first swing and put himself in position to have to hit two home runs to tie.

He hit a home run on the second swing but fell short on the third.

Hernández won the Home Run Derby with 14 home runs in the championship round, beating Witt, who had 13 home runs.