Date: Friday, May 10, 2024
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Christiana Ball Fields
This event is open to current OALL players ONLY!!
Octorara Area Little League is proud to be one of the local competition sites for the annual Phillies Home Run Derby this year.
Phillies Home Run Derby, presented by Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach, Realtors, is a baseball and softball hitting contest for children aged 7-12 years old.
Jack Bradley, an avid Phillies fan, began the Home Run Derby and partnered with the Phillies in 1971. When it began, six Home Run Derbies were held and children competed in three age divisions. The winners of each local competition competed in the Home Run Derby Championships held at the Phillies' new home, Veterans Stadium. As the program's popularity increased, the competition became three rounds, a local competition, a regional competition, and the Championship round held at the Vet.
It has since become one of the Phillies' most successful and long-running programs and added a softball division for girls. Currently, the home run hitting contest for boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 12 now annually serves over 22,000 children in 51 local competitions.
Jack's sons, Paul and John, who participated in the Home Run Derbies themselves as children, now run the program. The Bradley's do not plan on slowing down anytime soon and, like their father did with them, hope to pass the baseball and Phillies Home Run Derby tradition down to their sons and daughters.
Competition is broken into three age levels; Division A (7-8 years), Division B (9-10 years) and Division C (11-12 years) for both baseball and softball.
Batters receive one practice swing and 10 competition swings. Since a pitching machine is used, every pitch should be the same. However, there are times that a pitch is either too high or too low and this is determined by the Home Run Derby operator. If this happens, the batter receives another pitch. Batters do not have to swing at every pitch.
Batters are awarded points for each swing and the distance of each hit. Distances differ by age group:
All divisions
- Foul ball = 0 points
- Swing and miss = 0 points
- Fair ball = 1 point
Division A - Girls 7/8 years
- 50 feet = 2 points
- 75 feet = 5 points
Division B - Girls 9/10 years
- 75 feet = 2 points
- 100 feet = 5 points
Division C - Girls 11/12 years
- 100 feet = 2 points
- 125 feet = 5 points
Division A - Boys 7/8 years
- 75 feet = 2 points
- 100 feet = 5 points
Division B - Boys 9/10 years
- 100 feet = 2 points
- 125 feet = 5 points
Division C - Boys 11/12 years
- 125 feet = 2 points
- 175 feet = 5 points
There are three levels of competition:
- Local competitions are held in towns or townships in April through July. The top three winners in each division advance to the Regionals.
- Regional competitions are held in eight different locations. Each local winner is assigned to a regional competition and the first place winner in each division advances to the Championship.
- The Championship is held at Citizens Bank Park prior to a Phillies game.