Brent Rooker's 2025 Home Run Derby run ended in controversy vs. Cal Raleigh. See how a bizarre tiebreaker of 0.08 feet cost the A's slugger a shot at glory.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was supposed to be a celebration of pure power, a showcase of the game's best sluggers. And for a moment, Oakland's own Brent Rooker was right in the thick of it. But his 2025 Home Run Derby experience ended not with a triumphant swing or a narrow defeat, but with a bizarre, almost comical ruling based on a measurement so precise it felt like a science experiment gone wrong. Rooker was out, and A's fans were left scratching their heads and screaming at their TVs.
Seventeen homers each. Longest drive of 471 feet each. In any sane world, that's a tie. But in MLB's 2025 Home Run Derby, it's a loss decided by 0.08 feet.
Brent Rooker came to the plate on Tuesday night and did exactly what we hoped he would: he mashed. The A's All-Star put on an impressive display, launching 17 baseballs into the stands in the first round. His longest blast was a majestic 471-foot shot that seemed to hang in the air forever. He looked comfortable, powerful, and ready for a deep run. When Seattle's Cal Raleigh stepped up and also hit 17 homers, with a longest also listed at 471 feet, everyone buckled in for what seemed like an inevitable swing-off. It was the kind of head-to-head drama the Derby is made for.
But there was no swing-off. No coin flip. Instead, the broadcast announced that Raleigh was advancing. The reason? A tiebreaker rule that apparently involves getting out the digital calipers. Officials revealed that Raleigh's longest homer was measured at 470.61 feet, while Rooker's was a mere fraction shorter at 470.53 feet. The difference—less than a tenth of a foot—was enough to send Rooker packing. It was a deflating and frustrating end, a technicality that robbed fans of more action and Rooker of a fair chance to advance. It felt less like a competition and more like a rounding error.
While the Home Run Derby is ultimately an exhibition, the frustrating exit leaves a sour taste. But the All-Star break is now in the rearview mirror. Rooker proved he can hang with the league's best power hitters on the national stage. Now, it's time to channel that frustration into the second half of the season. Let's hope he takes his anger out on opposing pitchers, one 470-something-foot home run at a time.
