The South Atlantic League is getting creative for its Home Run Derby this year. The league announced on Tuesday that they will hold the first round of the Home Run Derby for the 53rd annual All-Star Game aboard the flight deck of the USS Yorktown in the Charleston Harbor.
The USS Yorktown is a naval aircraft carrier built during World War II that’s currently a museum and national landmark.
10 competitors will each take 10 swings in an inflatable batting cage that will be placed on the flight deck. Four finalists will move on to the final round that will be held prior to the All-Star Game at Riley Park on Tuesday June 19.
The Coast Guard will assess and note the longest homers to determine the finalists. Additionally, the RiverDogs have hired kayakers and personnel on jet skis to retrieve the balls that will be hit into the Charleston Harbor.
The ship is nearly 900 feet in length — more than double the length of a baseball field — so don’t be surprised when guys only pop balls about halfway across the deck. Still, the entire thing is pretty cool. It was awesome when a college basketball game was played on a naval ship, but a home run derby? That’s crazy. Hopefully fans will get to see Guile take on Dhalsim in a grudge match afterward.
