The Home Run Derby was born in 1985, to little attention and no television coverage. Conducted at the Metrodome, then the home of the Twins, it bore only a passing resemblance to the popular, high-powered spectacle we know today. Over time, the Derby morphed into a televised event, became a showcase for the game’s home run surge, and cycled through different formats. This year, Progressive Field hosts the 34th T-Mobile Home Run Derby, bringing the spectacle back to Cleveland for the first time since 1997. In preparation for this latest barrage of big flies, here is everything you need to know about the Derby and its hard-hitting history.

By The Numbers:

4: Including Progressive Field, four stadiums have hosted multiple Derbies. The ballpark (then known as Jacobs Field) was only four years old when Tino Martinez of the Yankees won the event in 1997. The only other stadium to feature more than one Derby is Angel Stadium (1989 and 2010). It’s also the number of Derbies won by members of the Yankees, the most for any team. After Martinez in 1997, the Bronx Bombers had players win in 2002 (Jason Giambi), ’11 (Robinson Canó) and ’17 (Aaron Judge).

513: Projected distance in feet of a home run Judge blasted at Marlins Park in 2017, a Statcast record for not only the Derby, but any tracked home run.

221: The record for most home runs in a Derby, set last year, including a 21-20 semifinal win for Kyle Schwarber over Rhys Hoskins. 

3: The number of hitters who have won more than one Derby. Ken Griffey Jr. is the only player with three victories (1994, ’98–99) and one of two to win in back-to-back years, along with Yoenis Céspedes (2013–14). Prince Fielder is the only slugger to win for multiple teams (2009 Brewers, ’12 Tigers).

61: The record for most home runs hit by a single player in an entire Derby, set by Giancarlo Stanton at San Diego’s Petco Park in 2016. Stanton’s electrifying exploits included the 20 hardest-hit homers of the night, according to Statcast. 

11: Teams that have never had a player crowned Derby champion. That includes the host Indians, although they have come close. Albert Belle was the runner-up to Frank Thomas in 1995, and Jim Thome finished second to Griffey 21 years ago, in ’98.

Home Run Derby History

1985–92: The Dark Ages

For the first several years, the Derby was a modest event that wasn’t televised. Through 1990, it featured just two rounds of five outs each. After that, the contest expanded to three rounds of 10 outs, although the winner was still determined by cumulative homer total. The ball was not exactly flying in those early years. At the low point in ’90, the entire eight-player field combined for a grand total of five big flies at Wrigley Field. 

The Derby perked up when the format expanded in 1991. While Cecil Fielder of the Tigers put on a show with a pair of titanic shots into the upper reaches of Toronto’s SkyDome, it was the Orioles’ Cal Ripken Jr. who won the Derby by clobbering a then-record 12 homers. 

1993–1997: The Broadcast Jump

ESPN got involved in 1993, initially televising the Derby via tape delay and raising the event’s profile. The drama of the ’93 Derby certainly helped. 

At the end of regulation, Griffey and Juan Gonzalez both had seven homers, forcing an extra round. Gonzalez eventually won in a sudden-death swing-off, but it was Griffey who authored the iconic moment. The epitome of cool standing at the plate in his backward Mariners cap, Griffey launched one of his overtime homers off the B&O warehouse stationed across Eutaw Street from Camden Yards, becoming the first and only slugger to hit the structure.

In 1996, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds dueled on a hot afternoon at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium. Bonds outhomered McGwire, 10-9, in the second round, then quickly overcame a 2-0 deficit in the finals by going deep on three straight swings.

1998–2005: We Are Live!

The Derby graduated to a live event in 1998, and the timing was great. In a season when the home run chase captivated the nation, the All-Star Game was at high-altitude Coors Field. While Griffey planned not to participate, a chorus of boos from fans during the previous day’s batting practice changed his mind. Then Griffey went out and won, besting Thome in the final round.

The year after McGwire set the home run record, he and Sosa took aim at Fenway Park’s Green Monster. With legends including Hank Aaron looking on -- the All-Century Team was being honored at the 1999 All-Star Game -- McGwire caused eyes to pop and jaws to drop with a staggering 13-homer barrage in the first round. Griffey ultimately won the night, but McGwire left the most lasting impression.

2006–14: In Transition

The Derby format continued to evolve over the years, and 2006 brought another tweak, with two hitters advancing to the finals based on their combined total from the first two rounds. There

was another shakeup in 2014, when the Derby adopted a partial bracket-style format in which the six players who moved past the first round were seeded based on their homer totals.

The incredible story of Josh Hamilton became a full-fledged legend when the late-blooming Rangers star put on an unprecedented show at the old Yankee Stadium. Hamilton crushed 28 homers in the first round -- more than all but one player previously had hit in an entire Derby. The barrage included several upper-deck blasts, and at one point, Hamilton homered on 13 straight swings.

2015–Present: The Statcast Era

The Derby’s appeal was always simple: Watch sluggers crush baseballs a long way. But we never knew just how hard those home runs were being hit, or exactly how far they were flying.

That changed in 2015 with the introduction of Statcast. The system was incorporated into the scoring in 2015, with home runs over certain distances earning players additional time to go deep. To go along with that, the format was tweaked again to an eight-player bracket in which rounds were governed by a time limit rather than by counting “outs.”

In his final season in Washington, Bryce Harper made his Derby debut at his home ballpark. Harper watched Kyle Schwarber mash 18 homers in the finals, then cranked nine in 50 seconds to tie it. With his father on the mound, Harper “walked off” by crushing his 19th homer in a 30-second bonus period.