Brent Rooker was not happy with the way he was bounced from the MLB Home Run Derby on Monday night.
Rooker was eliminated in the first round by eventual Derby winner Cal Raleigh, even though both hit the same number of home runs. However, Raleigh’s longest homer was just .08 feet further than Booker’s.
The A’s slugger expressed frustration that he wasn’t aware of the importance of the distance down to the decimal point until it was too late.
Though the scoreboard only showed rounded distances, Major League Baseball utilized the exact figures for official measurements.
While both hit a max distance of 471, Rooker’s home run measured in at 470.53 feet, while Raleigh’s came in at 470.61 feet.
“If they’re measuring to the decimal, it should be displayed during the Derby,” Rooker told reporters, “rather than revealing it after the event, as it could be useful.”
Booker had also said that he only got 38 pitches instead of the 40 because he was told he could take two pitches, but wasn’t aware there were only 40 balls available for him to hit in total.
“I took two pitches that didn’t count, but when we went to do the round, there was only 38 remaining, so we got down to have two pitches with five seconds left and they’re out of baseballs,” he said.
Raleigh went on to win the Home Run Derby with his dad throwing to him and his younger brother behind the plate.
Booker still called the experience a “great time” and praised Raleigh.
“Cal’s a great competitor. He put on a good performance too,” he said. “Rules are the rules in terms of what makes up the semifinals.”
