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TV Ratings Announced For 2025 MLB Home Run Derby

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 8:51 PM ET

The 2025 MLB Home Run Derby was a big hit for ESPN.

ESPN and ESPN2 televised the annual contest on Monday. Seattle Mariners All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh continued his torrid start to the 2025 season by winning without any room to spare.

According to ESPN, the event averaged 5.73 million viewers, a 5 percent increase from last year's 5.45 million.

Most people watched the traditional broadcast, but 499,000 average viewers tuned into the alternative Statcast-themed telecast on ESPN2. Ratings peaked at around 6.3 million on both channels.

MLB and ESPN may have hoped for more star power taking hacks at Truist Park. Reigning MVPs Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani didn't participate, and Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. withdrew shortly before the competition.

Acuna's replacement, teammate Matt Olson, was the only competitor who had previously appeared in a Home Run Derby. ESPN instead got a chance to showcase rising and unheralded stars, including a man quietly making history.

Raleigh hit a resounding 38 home runs before the All-Star break, finishing one behind Barry Bonds for the single-season record. The 28-year-old is on pace to shatter Salvador Perez's single-season benchmark for most long balls by a catcher (48) and could pursue Judge's American League record of 62. (Judge may also chase that milestone with 35.)

"Big Dumper" joined Ken Griffey Jr. as the second Mariners player to win the HR Derby. Raleigh's father pitched to him, with his 15-year-old brother catching in a family affair.

Raleigh almost didn't make it out of the opening round, but he advanced on the narrowest of tiebreakers. His 17 home runs went an average of 470.61 feet, nearly an inch better than Brent Rooker's 470.53 feet.

"It all happened so fast," Raleigh said, per MLB.com's Daniel Kramer. “They said there was a tiebreaker. Obviously, I knew because in the final round, I was talking to somebody. And they're like, 'You've got to get two more to get to 17 to tie Rooker. Honestly, I forgot the rule. I didn't know if it was a swing-off or distance. Somebody told me, and I was like, 'That's insane.' Like, crazy."

Raleigh eliminated Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz, who hit a 513-foot blast, in the semifinals before defeating Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero in the final round. He'll take home a $1 million prize, more than he made in 2024 ($795,000) before signing a $105 million extension in March.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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