Was the 1990 Home Run Derby the worst of all time? Revisiting infamous competition

The 1990 Home Run Derby, held at Wrigley Field in Chicago, is widely regarded as the worst event in the competition's history. Despite featuring a star-studded lineup of players, the event turned out to be a major disappointment, with only five home runs hit collectively by the eight participants.

At that time, the Home Run Derby was a relatively new addition to the All-Star Game festivities, introduced in 1985. It initially took place in the afternoon and was not televised. The format of the Derby before 1991 consisted of two innings, with each player having five outs per "inning" and no tiebreakers. As a result, there were co-winners in both 1986 and 1989.

The 1990 Home Run Derby featured notable players such as Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., Ryne Sandberg (playing in his home park), and Darryl Strawberry. However, astonishingly, five out of the eight participants failed to hit a single home run. Sandberg emerged as the champion, hitting three home runs, while Matt Williams and McGwire hit one each.

"From 1984-93, Ryne Sandberg was an all-star every year. He needed just 3 HR to win the 1990 Home Run Derby, the lowest winning amount in the event's history." - Baseball Time Machine

What happened after the 1990 Home Run Derby?

Following the disappointing results of the 1990 Derby, Major League Baseball promptly made changes to the format for the subsequent year. The adjustments included expanding to three rounds and modifying the number of allowed outs.

From 1991 to 2006, 8-10 players were chosen, with each round allowing 10 outs. The top four would then advance to the second round, and the top two would progress to the final round.

The impact of these adjustments was immediate. The 1991 Derby held in Toronto witnessed 27 home runs, with Cal Ripken Jr. emerging as the winner with 12 homers. The 1992 Derby in San Diego saw an even higher total of 40 home runs.