What it's like to be a Home Run Derby pitcher

The 2022 T-Mobile Home Run Derby takes place on Monday on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium. The eight sluggers participating this year will likely be preparing by lifting a little bit extra in the weight room, eating a second bowl of Wheaties and, well, practicing hitting home runs. The Derby is one of the most watched events Major League Baseball puts on, so millions upon millions will be tuned in -- hoping for nonstop dingers -- likely putting some extra pressure on these professional dinger-makers.

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But there's one person who likely feels the pressure even more. Without them, the home run hitters can't hit their home runs. They have to be extremely focused, they need to be almost perfect. And they have to be that way on one of the sport's biggest stages -- something they're not necessarily used to.

They are dads, they are real estate agents, they are third-base coaches.

They are the Home Run Derby pitchers.

"There’s a certain speed, certain touch, certain rhythm and you get into the feel of the hitter," Dino Ebel said. "And as a BP thrower, you start to feel that and now you’re in sync with him when he’s swinging the bat.”

Ebel has worked in pro baseball since the late 1980s. He signed with the Dodgers in '88 and played at various Minor League levels -- including for the then-affiliated Adelaide Giants in Australia. In the early 1990s, he embarked on a successful coaching career in the Minors and was eventually called on to coach third base for the Angels in 2006 and then the Dodgers in '19. That's exactly where he patrols the field today, known for his aggressive, yet extremely well-thought out style.

But as he told Sports Illustrated last year, there's something else he's also extremely good at: Tossing up meatballs that big league hitters can absolutely destroy during batting practice.

“My job is to get lit up. The main goal is to have each guy feel like he’s the best hitter in the world when they leave the cage," Ebel said.

So, it's no wonder that the 56-year-old has been chosen by some of the game's most elite power hitters to be the one throwing them pitches during the Home Run Derby.

Ebel threw to winner Vlad Guerrero Sr. in 2007, Albert Pujols in '15 and Joc Pederson in '19. While some pitchers might be anxious going into the situation with screaming crowds and televisions tuned in across the world, the baseball lifer stays pretty even-keeled.

"I think it’s because I’ve done it for so long and I had the experience in ‘07 with Vlad and then Albert was the next one and then Joc," Ebel said. "I’ve thrown to [Pujols] so much in the past, in the offseason and every day in batting practice and all I see is [the hitter] and I know where to throw the ball."

The cameras, the yelling fans are just not factors for Dino.

"I’m zoned in," Ebel said. "I hear it after the fact. But when I’m throwing, I don’t hear anything, I don’t even see anything. I forgot I was throwing to a catcher. I’m just locked in on the hitter. Oh, even with Vlad, with Joc and Albert, I really forgot there was a catcher there because I know where to throw it and I try to hit it as much as I can and be consistent.”

In fact, Ebel seems more tuned in to how the hitters feel than himself -- a trait that's probably crucial for a Derby pitcher to have. He specifically noted Pujols during the first year of the timed rounds in 2015.

"[Pujols] got tired. His arms swelled up, it was weird," he said. "He ran out of gas."

Pujols still put on a show, but lost by one to Pederson in the semifinals that year.

The ability to spot a pitch in a clutch moment is also key for a Derby pitcher, and Ebel harkened back to one famous moment between Joc and Vlad Jr. in '19. You may remember it.

"The one thing I remember with Joc is when Vlad Jr. had 29 home runs or whatever it was, Joc comes up to me and says, 'Down and in, we’re going to do this thing,' and I just kept throwing down and in, down and in, down and in."

Pederson eventually lost in the semis to Vlad, but their round ended up being one of the more thrilling in the event's history.

Ebel didn't have a pick for this year's champion (as of now, he won't be pitching to any of the eight competitors), but he did talk to Pujols, and the surefire Hall of Famer said he's ready and excited to hit some long balls at Dodger Stadium. He did, though, have some sage advice for the Derby throwers who'll be hurling it off the mound in L.A. on Monday night.

"The biggest thing is being consistent and not rushing it," he said. "If you can do those two things, you’re going to give that guy what he wants.”

Big thanks to MLB.com's Juan Toribio for his interview help with this story