MLB makes late changes to new Home Run Derby format

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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.

Timing

•  Each batter receives four minutes per round. The timers start with the release of the first pitch.
• A round will end when the timer strikes zero. A home run will count if the pitch was released with time left on the timer.
• A pitcher cannot throw a pitch until a batted ball has hit the ground, has been caught or has left the field of play in foul territory. After a ball has been hit, the lead official will raise his right hand in the air to signify to the pitcher that he may throw the next pitch.
• Each batter can call one "timeout" per round by raising his hand above his head or verbally requesting a timeout from the official. The timeout will last 45 seconds. The official will direct the batter to enter the batter's box at the end of the timeout and the timer will commence when the pitcher releases the next pitch.
•  Thirty seconds of bonus time will be awarded for two home runs that equal or exceed 425 feet in that round.
•  Following the end of the four-minute regulation period, there will be a break of up to one minute (depending on the preference of the batter) before the commencement of the bonus period. The timer will start when the first pitch of the bonus period is released.

Scoring/Advancement

• The batter with the most home runs hit in each matchup will advance to the next round.
• Ties in any round will be broken by a 90-second swing-off with no stoppage of time or additional time added; if a tie remains after the swing-off, the batters will engage in successive three-swing swing-offs until there is a winner.
• Once the second batter hits more than the first batter in any matchup, he will be declared the winner and not attempt to hit additional home runs.