What it’s like to have a Home Run Derby ball hit right at you

The first thing you notice when a home run ball starts to fly in your direction is that all your preconceived notions of how you’d react in that moment are pretty much wrong.

The first thing you notice when a home run ball starts to fly in your direction is that all your preconceived notions of how you’d react in that moment are pretty much wrong. I played baseball my entire childhood. My greatest skill was that I wasn’t afraid of the ball and was happy to use my body to knock it down however I could. As I’ve moved nearly 20 years past my playing days, I assumed the instinct to go after the ball would still be there. But after Monday night’s 2025 T-Mobile Home Run Derby, I can report that the stories you tell yourself are all pretty much wrong. Instead, the first thought that goes through your head is simple: “Oh no.” I was lucky enough to be in attendance at Truist Park in Atlanta on Monday night for the derby, one of the sport’s signature events and one of my favorite moments of the sporting year. What I didn’t anticipate until I set foot inside the stadium is that I might be directly in the launch path of some missiles from baseball’s best sluggers. When I found my assigned seat in the press area, the realization hit me that I might be more involved in the night’s action that I originally expected. The auxiliary press box at this gorgeous, eight-year-old park is set in what’s called the Hank Aaron Terrance – a group space that hangs over the left field grandstand with climate-controlled seating and large glass windows to watch the game.