The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

A new date has been set for the 2021 Don’t Blink Home Run Derby in Paradise.

Event organisers Todd Isaacs and Lucius Fox announced that the fourth edition of the event is scheduled for December 18, 2021.

“Firstly, thank you for being the best fans and supporters. Your endless support and love have been unmatched these past three years,” they said in a press release issued yesterday.

“Bringing a Home Run Derby to Montagu foreshore has been magical. You all, the fans and participants are what makes this event truly one of a kind. Because of you, we have become the best off-season baseball event in the world. Although there will not be any baseball launched into the ocean this off-season, we promise that this time away will give us more time to plan an amazing weekend filled with surprises.”

Traditionally hosted in early January, the derby has grown in stature to be showcased prominently by several international media outlets, including the MLB Network, and features both minor and major league prospects from around the league.

The duo first spoke on the postponement on the latest edition of their Paradise Vibes Only (PVO) Podcast, hosted by Tim McCaster.

“I had some of my friends and some past participants texting me saying how bad they wish they were coming down to The Bahamas this year. It sucks for all of us, we are all feeling it, but I feel like 2021 is going to be our best year,” Fox said.

“I feel like the people are going to be missing it that much they are going to be craving it. Everything that we do is going to be amplified, it’s going to be magnified and I feel like we are going to step up to the plate and knock it out the park again like we do every year.”

Bo Bichette, of the Toronto Blue Jays, won the inaugural event in 2018 and repeated as champion in 2019.

Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson captured the title in 2020.

“The thing about the Home Run Derby that is so cool for us is that people everywhere are actually starting to recognise us and the event,” Isaacs said. “It brings people from different avenues together, they have so much fun and so much excitement, it’s going to be an incredibly special year.”

In addition to the derby, the participating players traditionally host an annual kids’ clinic at the Atlantis resort in Paradise Harbour for aspiring student-athletes.

In 2020, the partnership with the Charles Johnson Foundation brought with it MLB’s Play Ball Initiative, the branch of the organisation which hosts kids’ camps around the world.

Proceeds from the event have benefitted the Cancer Society of the Bahamas, Sister Sister Breast Cancer Support Group and the Hurricane Dorian Relief Effort.