PHILADELPHIA — Like several of the contestants in Monday night’s MLB Home Run Derby, Netflix’s first broadcast of the competition started slow.
Bouncing between announcers in a booth and on the field limited the show’s momentum for what is arguably sports’ last great exhibition. Close-up camera angles of hitters hid a bit too much from viewers. Commercial breaks right after a contestant’s final swing took air out of the broadcast, as did a last-chance magenta ball (sponsored by T-Mobile) of which none of the boppers seemed capable of taking advantage. During an elaborate player intro sequence, hometown hero Bryce Harper momentarily appeared to nearly destroy the home plate-shaped boxing ring that had been set up where second base would normally be.
But everybody settled in, with time to do so thanks to the league’s return to an untimed format. Playing at home, Kyle Schwarber did just enough to advance to the second round, even if Harper didn’t. Then Phillies fans came alive at the chance to boo everybody in Schwarber’s way as he swung into the finals—only for 24-year-old Jordan Walker to stun the crowd with six straight homers, ending the night $1 million richer. Everyone except for the diehard Phanatics came out a winner.
