Nationals superstar Bryce Harper on Monday night won the 2018 Home Run Derby in his home ballpark and in front of tens of thousands of adoring Nats fans. Making it all the more dramatic is that Harper prevailed over Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber in a hotly contested final round. And that's where the plot thickens.
Per Derby rules, the pitcher is supposed to wait until each batted ball lands before delivering the next pitch. In Harper's case, he was off Schwarber's final-round pace of 18 home runs by five with less than one minute on the clock. Harper began closing the gap, and as the clock wound down, Harper's pitcher -- his dad, Ron, it should be noted -- appeared to break that "wait until the ball lands" rule on multiple occasions. Have a look:
It's not over until @Bharper3407 says it's over. pic.twitter.com/UATq8M2ldV
— MLB (@MLB) July 17, 2018
So r we just ignoring the fact the Bryce Harper & his dad cheated & did not follow the rules of the #HomeRunDerby ? The previous hit ball must hit the ground before the next ball can be thrown to the batter. Harper needs 4 Home Runs taken away, video evidence. #Justice4Schwarber pic.twitter.com/u0B5FPAlfV
— Franchise 🤘KLiQ🤘 (@FranchiseKicks) July 17, 2018
(Yes, there's a seemingly earnest #Justice4Schwarber hashtag making the rounds, and -- in another modern inevitability -- there's a Change.org petition to recognize Schwarber as the rightful Derby champ.) This kind of thing, it should be noted, was not a particularly isolated reaction:
My absolute favorite thing in the world right now is Cubs fan home run derby truthers who believe the Harpers were cheating pic.twitter.com/F7QEvPt5pj
— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) July 17, 2018
What's interesting is that there's an ump positioned far behind home plate who signals to the pitcher when it's OK to throw again. By way of example, here's that ump letting Rhys Hoskins' pitcher know that he's free to serve up another one (as said other one has already been served up):
So was Harper's dad ignoring the hold sign from the ump or was the ump "going rogue" and giving him the green light before those baseballs had landed? That, people, is the ultimately unimportant question.
Also, let it be known that other 2018 Derby participants where not spared from such accusations:
@teixeiramark25 are we just gonna pretend like Hoskins didn’t cheat? He wasn’t waiting for the ball to land
— Jake Robinson (@JDR316) July 17, 2018
And, yes, Schwarber himself as at least one righteous accuser out there:
Well I got Hoskins, Muncy, and Harper right, and would have gotten Bregman if Schwarber didn't cheat.#HomeRunDerby
— Randy (@randyscholz) July 17, 2018
At this point, two key takeaways:
- Ditch the stupid rule, and let participants pitch and swing with all the haste and impunity they can muster.
- It's the Home Run Derby. It's an exercise in fun. If you're Mad Online about any bending of the rules, then your interior life is your own punishment.
Bryce Harper won the 2018 Home Run Derby.
