MLB makes late changes to new Home Run Derby format

ByABC News
July 13, 2015, 6:11 PM

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The 2015 Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders will feature a new format that includes a tournament bracket and timed rounds. The event will be held on Monday, July 13, at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN/WatchESPN) at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

MLB made updates to the format late Monday afternoon. The updates are reflected in bold below.

Here's how this year's event will be structured:

Bracket format

• The Derby will operate as a single-elimination tournament in which the loser of each bracket is immediately eliminated.
• The seeding is based on 2015 home run totals through July 7, with ties broken by awarding the higher seed to the batter with more home runs hit since June 15. Any tie thereafter will be broken by a coin flip.
• In each bracket, the higher seed will hit second.
• In the first round, the matchups are the following: No. 1 vs. No. 8; No. 4 vs. No. 5; No. 2 vs. No. 7; and No. 3 vs. No. 6.
• In the second round, the winner of the No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup will face the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup; and the No. 2 vs. No. 7 matchup winner will compete against the winner of the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup.
• The two second-round winners will meet in the third round to determine the Home Run Derby champion.