1994 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby (Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh)
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- čas přidán 4. 08. 2019
- Complete ESPN broadcast of the 1994 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, which was held at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. This was just the second year that ESPN broadcast the Home Run Derby as its own program, and the first year that the program was broadcast as a full hour (with commercials). It wasn't long before the Home Run Derby was as popular as the All-Star Game in terms of TV ratings. Monster home runs by the likes of Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey Jr., and Fred McGriff made for an exciting competition just a few weeks before a strike shut down the remainder of the 1994 season.
- Sport
When Griffey was the Michael Jordan of baseball and Chris Berman on point with the great calls. Both appropriately had great roles in 'Little Big League,' released the same year of this footage.
I miss Griffey and Thomas and all of them. I feel like baseball is coming back and that makes me smile.
Golden age of baseball so many great players
This has got to be my most favorite HR derby ever. I was a 16 year old kid watching in awe as Thomas and Griffey Jr. crushed upper deck shot after upper deck shot.
Crushed is an understatement.
V.v.v.
V
those 90s starter jackets are fire
I wanted one but my parents didnt want to buy one for me. They were like 100 bucks at least
Watch this back in the day. ESPN used to be a great channel
Amen dude!
90s mlb was the greatest to watch on TV.
I was fortunate enough to be there. A great event. It was super hot that day and the homers were flying out of there. Griffey Jr. and Frank Thomas were crushing it.
Hard for me to believe I was there didn’t see you
I'm from the UK I went to the pittsburgh vs Chicago game that year was stood over the practice area and managed to get a ball thrown to me from one of the players. I still have the baseball sat in my drawer at home . What an experience 👍
Ken Griffey Jr is the best baseball player of my lifetime
I was a kid in the left field upper deck with my buddy watching this. It was getting boring up there so I said we should go down a section below. Right when we started to leave Frank started hitting bombs right near us. We were amazed.
Back when Home Run Derbies were fun to watch and ESPN just stuck to sports
The 1994 Home Run Derby. Or, as I prefer to call it, "A Tale of Two Griffs: The Crime Dog and The Kid."
That's actually pretty creative! LOL
Griffey OMG
Love watching the old homerun durbys
I love the old show in b & w ... good ol' Rocky Colavito and Harmon Killebrew!
forgot how sweet mcgriff's swing was
Seriously true
Nothing can beat Griffey's swing
The crime dog
I was 13 years old at the time. Frank Thomas was already my all-time favorite baseball player. Even before he took a big league at-bat I just had a feeling about him when I got his Topps rookie card with him at first base at Auburn.
I later learned that he and I share the same birthday. My Big Hurt fandom is as real as it comes.
Frank has better hitting numbers then Griffey and Is definitely the best hitter out of that entire All-Star Class.
Frank has better hitting numbers then Griffey and Is definitely the best hitter out of that entire All-Star Class.
Frank has better hitting numbers then Griffey and Is definitely the best hitter out of that entire All-Star Class.
jesus...Frank Thomas at the break, .383, 32hr, 78rbi, .795slg, .515 OBP, 93R... UNREAL numbers.
Without the steroids too. Back when balls were also juiced.
@@Joseph-lz5er He was naturally juiced. A big big boy.
The Big Hurt was a monster! My favorite player of all time
@Krystal Giove I would like to see these guys play in today's game.
@@davidrobinson2005 I saw him at a pizza joint on the southside of Chicago years ago promoting his beer, Big hurt beer. He had been retired for years but i couldn't get over his physical presence in person. I know damn well he made a lot of pitchers nervous just walking up to the plate lol.
Griffey never took the juice
Thanks for posting this, brings back memories
Before statcast and more reliable measurements-510 feet
After stat cast 470
Man Jr had some dope cleats!
Always the dopest. He was so cool
Why did he have dope on his cleats???
I thought so too when I was a kid, and that’s why I got em!
Wow so back then they just did one round and who ever had the most won, crazy how times have changed
Much better without a clock. Let the players pick and choose what they swing at. More organic. Clocks, clocks, clocks, everywhere now. What makes baseball great is that there is no time. Why I love it.
I actually liked when Chris Berman wanted to do commentary on the Home Run Hitting Contest.
you mean back back back back back back in the day
When Thomas bumped the facade of the upper deck in straightaway left center...that was a bomb.
@37:49 "And his attitude" from Hall of Famer Joe Morgan as Griffey helps the catcher with the ball.
23:03 What a sweet sound of a 500 ft bomb
'94 was the year steroid use began to explode in MLB. Home runs and slugging percentages were through the roof that year, a trend that would continue until the early 2010's.
I wonder if Frank Thomas knew back then he would eventually do testosterone boosting commercials
And we all think of him as clean, but there's also the chance the reason he's taking something like that today is that his body isn't producing at normal levels anymore because of stuff he used back in the day, a problem Canseco has had...
@@doofus9575 all men his age experience decreased testosterone levels. Roids has nothing to do with it
@@TheOldSchoolGamer93 Having taken steroids can absolutely hasten and speed up your testosterone production decline - see what's happened to Canseco. If the body is just given something it's used to producing on its own, it might just stop producing that thing because it becomes used to receiving it in other means. This can become a problem for ex-users.
If Thomas Would have taken roids he would have hit a lot more home runs in his career. Just look at his numbers, nothing shows that he did.
@@doofus9575 shut up you doofus
He makes it look so easy.. You know who I’m talking about.
Also, great and risky catch by that kid 39:21
So many regonizable superstars at the home run derby
Back when the MLB was actually watchable
What happened within a month later, no one will ever forget. Many records would have been broken...
Griffey would have broken Maris that year!!
@@tylerpitman2339 A few would most likely have.
His bat speed is unreal!
Dang it, the ads and bumps were cut out :(
Ruben Sierra, what could have been. Had a nice long career though. Poor Mike Piazza..... lol I'll just try commentating (paid off)! These are great, I never watched some of these earlier ones at the time ( i started recording them in 1995). Thanks!
42:15 "I must kill the Queen"
🤣🤣🤣
I was rooting for Piazza when I saw this. But Griffey, man.
only 1 round back then? crazy
Back when the derby was simple
What the helll happened espn?
Was this done at high noon during the day??
I definitely like the mutiple rounds
Nice
40:50 just when Frank thought he was the most powerful slugger there lol 5 er 6 or 7 idk 5th deckers
some of the best home run hitters of all-time in a lot of these old home run derbys and they can't hit more than two or three fucking home runs. These days guys are hitting 15 to 20 every time. And holy shit the catcher is actually throwing the balls back to the picture hahaboy these were the good old days. I didn't start watching baseball until 1998 when I was nine so this would have been the summer after kindergarten right here. Getting ready to go into first grade.I don't know about you guys but I wish there was a way that we could just go back in time and go back to kindergarten or first-grade or whatever. Just like a vacation. Except you get to go back to being a kid 😂😂
They started juicing the balls up for the players in the 2000s for ratings.. Bobby Abreu hit more homers in the Derby than he practically did his entire career.
@@j_r_3404 I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that they could take as many pitched as they want as well and they thought taking a pitch or 2 and going slow would help them but it didn't allow them to get into a groove now the way they do things they have to keep swinging to get the numbers high and they get into a groove big time. I'm all for juicing the players because steroid era was the best baseball ever was. I don't give a fuck if it's cheating or not. Let them all do it. But it's good that used to balls for the Derby it makes it better
This is the 1st derby I remember watching, I was 7 at the time.
@@thickerconstrictor9037that homerun chase in the late 90s was some of the best baseball I ever witnessed....God I really miss those days so much back then in 94' I was 12 😢
Frank Thomas hit off his front foot. weird style. He made it work
26:03 legendary moment, 23:03 was sick too
525ft & 510ft
@@JavMacHer that's the estimate before accurate measurement. Guaranteed neither one of those was 500 ft. Probably both in the 470 480 range. Perfect example of this was Mark mcgwire's Ball that was supposed to be about 540 and Jose canseco's that was supposed to be 530 when they were accurately measured neither one of them are 500 ft. Back then people used to say if it was in the upper deck it was 500 ft but they were literally just guessing. Guaranteed those balls were both in the 400s
Three Rivers was a huge stadium. You had to really hit the ball well to get the ball over the fence. If these hitters like Griffey Jr,Frank Thomas and Fred Mcgriff hit homers in today's ballparks like Coors Field,Great American Ballpark or Nationals Stadium the balls would be flying out!!
Wisconsin! I live in Green Bay!
Three Rivers is cool nice fishing!
Just watched all of my favorite hitters. McGriff though.
Then the strike happen!
I know it was a record breaking year it's ashamed the strike took it away.
When staduims meant something to us as kids
@37:34 WOW, the wise foresight of Joe Morgan here... "I hope he has over 50 and has a great season - BUT, I saw what it did to Roger Maris. And he was a veteran. And Ken Griffey, Jr. is still maturing, I'd hate for that to be a blemish on his career." Griffey would only go on to hit 40 in 1994 (his 6th season, at 24 years old) , after having hit 45 in 1993 (at 23yo). He hit 49 in 1996 (27yo), and then 56 in '97 (28yo) and '98 (29yo). Then 48 in '99 (30yo), 40 in '00 (his 12th season, as many as Maris played, at 31yo), 35 in '05 (his 17th season, at 36yo), and 30 in '07 (his 19th season, and 38yo). Maris only played 12 seasons, and only hit more than 30 home runs in a season in '60 (39 home runs at 24 years old), '61 (61 home runs at 25yo), and '62 (33 at 26yo). Griffey was a first ballot Hall of Famer and only in 1984 did Roger Maris get a monument at Yankee Stadium that reads "IN BELATED RECOGNITION", one year before his death at the age of 51, the current age of Ken Griffey, Jr. in 2021.
You said it brother.
Well he only hit 40 in '94 because the season was stopped due to a strike. There was a few records being chased that year that got killed due to the strike.
Griffey hit 40 in 94 because of the baseball strike missing 50 games . So he would have 50 hrs at least
I love how Frank Thomas makes a tennis grunt when he spanks one
I player a softball game against Dante bichette and two of his sons including beau before he was in Triple-A. They were crushing the ball the third base and I dove and caught a ball, I dove and stopped one and threw him out at first and I dove and stop one and tagged third. On one play Dante was hauling ass towards me and I was like don't hit me as I was catching the ball to tag him hahaha. I was standing on third base with and he was like man I keep telling my boys not to hit the ball to you. You are are getting everything they hit at you.
I was in Arizona and saw Bonds freeking crush a ball.
42:15 just a year later hes come for you and tie your 5 home runs in a playoff series record
These guys are super jacked yet only hit 4 homers in a derby? Why is that?
Skill
@BroskyWhoDatedHoski my favorite baseball players albert puljols yodi Molina stan the man ken. G. Jr. Ted willams joe d. Babe ruth mike trout ozzie smith nola a. Ricky hen. Micky m. Derrick j. Pete rose and list go on steroid user get no love from me
The formats are completely different between then and now, 4 homers in 14 swings vs a full 4min 30 seconds with a break in the middle.... you can't compare their numbers for any purpose and have a meaningful result
They still had the 10 out format when josh Hamilton hit like 20 something
They weren't tossing T-Balls in the Derby back then.
BACK BACK BACK BACK
Griffey and Mcgriff looks like Twins they has similar swings and almos the same boddy!
A literal damn shame he's not in the HOF and some others are. If he hits just 7 more homers he's in easily just cause it's "500".
@@calinator51 Yea man, he was a cmplete player, like Tood Helton!
Similar swings?! Tha fuck you talking about?! Take your shades off before watching the Kid! NOBODY got a swing like him. Sweetest swing in the history of MLB!
@@01dirtydirk Similar is not the Same but ok
No ws this year
Oh two rivers Pittsburgh.
The new way of timing it and not 10 out is so much better
Chris Berman is the best ever..this vid should be titled, "Chris at his best."
9th annual
Mcgriff looks like Griffey’s older brother!
Well they have similar names ;) heh heh
MJ? @43:29
How is Fred McGriff not in the Hall Of Fame...doesnt make sense
Because MLB has a bias against hitters from this era, even if there was 0 suspicion of PEDs like McGriff.
@@paulnettles9109 Still he should be there...Its a crime for the crime dog not to be there...Its a corny joke but still...He's worthy
Funny how a kid like Vlad Jr can hit 19 home runs in a home run derby, but Mike Piazza in his prime couldn't hit a single one. They are definitely juicing the balls now, both in the regular season and in the derby.
The formats used are completely different and you're looking at a sample size of 10 swings from Piazza. Please tell me this didn't actually convince you of your argument, this is classic confirmation bias.
@@nickwagner6545 Vlad Jr’s a jerk! How’s that for an ad hominem!
I wonder if fans looking back hear how horrible the announcers are
The days before the Berman ruined the derby by going back back back back back on every home run.
He didnt ruin it. I miss him doing the homerun derby
He didn't ruin it at all.
Jr Griffery?? He won solo many world series lol
Hey! I grew up on that call! And I miss it everyday.
Fred Mcgriff is still not in the baseball hall of fame
Back when all star events were great and now they mean Jack
The many picture intraorally ruin because earth lilly start against a truculent curtain. grumpy, puny sarah
bagwell performance was awful compared to griffey's lol
I like ken Griffey jr and the yankees
That’s a weird combo considering Griffey hated and killed the Yankees.... BUT, as a yankee fan, Griffey was my favorite player too. You couldn’t not like him
back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back back
i swear this dude is always the worst part of a home run derby
Mike piazza was never a homerun hitter
Never a home run hitter?
Piazza has more home runs than any catcher in MLB history with 396...
That's probably one of the dumbest statements I have ever heard!
Are you sure you have watched him play?
This format was just dumb
And just a few weeks after this baseball almost died
Canceled I believe