Home Run Derby (1960 TV series)

Home Run Derby was a syndicated American television program that aired in 1960. The show featured two Major League Baseball players competing in a simulated home run hitting contest. Each week, a different pair of sluggers would face off, with the winner receiving $2,000 and the loser $1,000.

The format involved each player getting nine swings in each of nine "innings." The number of home runs hit determined the winner. If the contest resulted in a tie, both players would return the following week. The show was filmed at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, which was then the home of the Los Angeles Angels (a different team than the current Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim).

The show was notable for its simplicity and the intimate, conversational tone between the players and the host, Mark Scott. It offered a rare glimpse into the personalities of some of baseball's biggest stars of the era. Notable participants included Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Frank Robinson. The series only lasted one season, but it has remained a popular program through reruns and is considered a precursor to later home run hitting contests associated with Major League Baseball's All-Star Game.