ATLANTA — Oneil Cruz, Junior Caminero, Byron Buxton and Cal Raleigh advanced to the semifinals of the Home Run Derby on Monday night.
Cruz and Caminero hit 21 home runs in the opening round, with Cruz receiving the top seed based on the longest home run tiebreaker. Cruz will face Raleigh in the semifinal round and Caminero will oppose Buxton.
Raleigh and the A’s Brent Rooker also finished the round in a tie at 17, but Raleigh’s longest home run beat Rooker’s by the narrowest of margins — 470.61 feet to 470.53.
Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood began the night with 16 home runs, including a 486-foot shot, before the Rooker followed with his 17.
Tampa Bay star Caminero, using a bat with his face on it, then hit 11 of the first 14 pitches he saw over the fence, before totaling 21 in an impressive round.
Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Cruz hit one of his 21 first-round homers 513 feet to right center field, marking the farthest recorded home run in Truist Park history.
Buxton of the Minnesota Twins had 20 homers and New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit just three out.
Raleigh, the Seattle Mariners catcher and Major League Baseball’s home run leader, switched from the left-handed batter’s box to the right with just over a minute left on his way to 17.
To cap the first round, Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson recorded only 15 in his home park, leaving Cruz, Caminero, Buxton and Raleigh in the semifinals.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media
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