Cowboys Crush Home Runs, Derby Raises $117K For Charity

Leighton Vander Esch hit 10 home runs to raise major charity dollars and repeat as the derby champion.

FRISCO - Micah Parsons is used to crushing quarterbacks... But on Wednesday evening, Parsons turned his pads in for a bat, crushing baseballs over the fence at Riders Field in Frisco. 

To the delight of the bevy of Dallas Cowboys fans in the stands, 10 Cowboys players stepped up the plate for Reliant Energy's home run derby competition that benefits the Salvation Army and other local charities.

Every hit increased the charity donation amount, heightening the already-fierce competition to be named home run king of the Cowboys. Dak Prescott, Trevon Diggs, Jake Ferguson, CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, Osa Odighizuwa, Brandin Cooks, Stephon Gilmore, Leighton Vander Esch and Parsons took turns at the plate. 

Parsons brought the energy, Ferguson surprised with an impressively powerful swing, while Cooks and Gilmore were all smiles at their first official Cowboys event. 

However, it was Vander Esch who hit 10 home runs to raise $17,000 and repeat as the derby champion, earning major bragging rights in the locker room. The tenth annual home run event was a smashing success: the Cowboys raised $86,500 for the Salvation Army and Reliant donated $117,000 in total to 23 local nonprofit organizations.

Plot twist, I also shook off the rust and batted to raise money for charity during the media competition ahead of the Cowboys. It's been a few (!) years since my last at-bat but I played softball in college at University of San Diego and won two Oregon 6A State Titles with Grants Pass High School. 

I'm proud that my hits helped raise $1,900 to fight hunger in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Tango Charities' Feed the City has fed more than $6 million people since launching in 2015 and has broken three Guinness World Records. With 20 monthly events all over DFW, volunteers donate their time and sandwich supplies to help nourish the community. 

For the past 10 years, Reliant has hosted the charitable event with the Cowboys and has donated more than $800,000 to The Salvation Army and other local nonprofits.

Dak Prescott smashes 3 straight home runs at the 10th @reliantenergy home run derby. https://t.co/W7NZP5WLru #cowboysnation @dak @fishsports pic.twitter.com/OIawPM7nk1

— Bri Amaranthus (@BriAmaranthus) May 4, 2023

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