(WFAN) Major League Baseball on Wednesday announced the launch of Home Run Derby X, “an electrifying new baseball format that takes MLB on a global tour” with stops in London on July 9, Seoul on Sept. 17 and Mexico City on Oct. 15.
The Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs and Red Sox will be the four teams competing in the events, which will include four-person squads featuring an MLB legend, superstar, rookie and wild card.
Superstars will be softball or women’s baseball players, rookies will come from the men’s baseball development system and wild cards are “influential content creators, fired up for a huge challenge, as they embark on an intensive training program taking them from baseball beginner to big hitter.”
MLB announced some of the participants. The Yankees' squad has a high-profile name as the legend: Nick Swisher, who was a fan favorite of the late 2000s/early 2010s teams and hit 105 of his 245 career homers in pinstripes.
Swisher’s counterparts are Geovany Soto (Cubs), Jonny Gomes (Red Sox) and Adrian Gonzalez (Dodgers).
"The Chicago Cubs signed me at 18 years old, so to get another opportunity to put that jersey back on and be a part of Home Run Derby X is an honor and a privilege," Soto said in the press release. "I can’t wait for my kids to see me swing the bat and hit home runs. There’s nothing like being a part of the crowd and seeing baseball in action!”
So what exactly is Home Run Derby X?
Well, it’s a home run derby-type event that will be played on a smaller version of a baseball field, with home plate mounted on a stage, the mound on a podium and a field of play that's “adaptable and has been designed to fit within a variety of environments, from festival sites to stadiums.”
Each batter has one at-bat of 25 pitches while two opponents play defense, and homers are one point for the offense while catches are one point for the defense. Additional ways to score include hitting certain targets or during each batter’s “hot streak” – five consecutive pitches in which homers and targets count double, during which catches also count for double.
The event is “inspired by the success and simplicity” of the Home Run Derby and was developed “with the goal of attracting a new audience to baseball and creating high-energy live event experiences and opportunities for digital storytelling," MLB said in its release.
The four teams will compete in a bracket-style competition at each event and will earn points based on finish to determine their position on the Home Run Derby X Tour leaderboard. Those standings will determine seeding for the final event, which will be an elimination tournament to crown a tour champion.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN.