José Ramirez latest to join 2024 Home Run Derby, joins Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, more

Major League Baseball

Updated Jul. 9, 2024 6:13 p.m. ET

Cleveland’s José Ramírez will also join the Home Run Derby, becoming the sixth member of the eight-man field, Major League Baseball said Tuesday.

A switch-hitter, Ramírez was part of the 2022 competition at Dodger Stadium.

Pete Alonso will participate in his fifth straight Home Run Derby, with the New York Mets first baseman trying to win for the third time.

Baltimore‘s Gunnar Henderson, Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna, Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. and Philadelphia‘s Alec Bohm also have committed to the July 15 event at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Alonso made the announcement Sunday night on Instagram.

Ken Griffey Jr. is the only three-time champion of the derby, which started in 1985, winning in 1994, 1998 and 1999.

Alonso won the competition in 2019 as a rookie of Cleveland’s Progressive Field, edging Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero 23-22 in the final round, then repeated in 2021 at Denver’s Coors Field, beating Baltimore’s Trey Mancini by the same score. There was no derby in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Alonso was eliminated by Seattle’s Julio Rodríguez in the 2022 semifinals at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Juan Soto, then of Washington, went on to win.

Alonso was knocked out 41-21 by Rodríguez last year at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, where Guerrero took the title and joined Vladimir Sr. (2007) to become the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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