What a home run challenge is
A home run derby strips baseball down to its best moment. There are no innings, no fielders to beat and no bases to run: a pitcher throws, a batter swings, and only balls hit over the outfield wall count. Batters play for the most home runs in a set number of pitches, outs or minutes. The long hits come from timing more than strength.
Playing Skyshot Slugger on AllFun
AllFun Skyshot Slugger puts you at the plate in a 3D ballpark. A challenge gives you ten pitches to reach a home run target, and three misses end it early. Swing with the big button, a tap on the field, or Space or Enter; slide the aim left or right first, or hold A and D on a computer.
There are twelve challenges in three ballparks: Harbor Park, with the wall at 94 metres and two home runs needed; Redwood Field, 102 metres, three home runs and a side wind; and Skyline Stadium, 110 metres, four home runs and quicker pitches. Find more ball games on our sports games page.
The rules
What counts as a home run
The ball must stay fair, between the two foul lines, and clear the top of the outfield wall. A ball that lands short is in play but not a home run; a ball that lands outside the lines is a foul.
Derby formats
Some derbies give each batter a number of outs, where any swing that is not a home run is an out. Others count every home run in a timed round. Skyshot Slugger mixes the two: ten pitches with three misses allowed, where a foul, a whiff or a pitch you take uses one up. A hit that falls short of the wall is free.
Scoring on AllFun
Every home run is worth 1,000 points, plus 5 per metre of distance, a 500 bonus when the contact is Perfect, and extra for back-to-back home runs. Shorter hits score by distance too, 4 points a metre. Hit the target and the challenge is won: beat it by one for two stars, or by three, with two Perfect contacts, for three.
Six batting tips
- Read the pitch card. The card at the top names the next pitch and its speed. A fastball flies straight, a curveball swings sideways and a dropper falls late.
- Swing a moment early. A real bat takes time to come through the zone, and so does this one. Start the swing just before the ball reaches the ring over the plate.
- Use the timing bar. After every swing the game rates your contact and, unless it was Perfect, tells you the error in milliseconds. Shift your next swing by that amount.
- Let timing aim the ball. An early swing pulls the ball to left field and a late one pushes it to the right. In a side wind, use that to keep the ball fair.
- Keep your rhythm on breaking balls. In Skyshot a curveball or a dropper reaches the plate in about the same time as a fastball; only its path bends or dips. Keep your timing and watch where the ball ends up.
- Swing at every pitch. A pitch you let go by costs a miss here, so there is nothing to gain by waiting for a better one.
The real numbers
In professional baseball the pitching rubber is 18.44 metres from home plate, and a fast pitch reaches the batter in around four tenths of a second. Long home runs leave the bat at a launch angle of roughly 25 to 35 degrees. In Skyshot a perfect swing can carry past 150 metres.
Home run FAQ
How do you hit a home run every time?
Nobody does, but good timing comes close. Watch the pitch card, start the swing a moment before the ball arrives, and correct by the milliseconds the game shows.
Does a foul ball count as a miss?
In Skyshot Slugger it does, and so do a whiff and a pitch you take. A fair ball that lands inside the park is not a miss.
What does an early swing do?
It pulls the ball towards left field. A late swing pushes it to the right, so timing sets the direction as well as the distance.
Is Skyshot Slugger free?
Yes. A challenge uses 40 play coins, your points pay coins back when it ends, and the challenge after a win costs nothing. See how coins work.
Ready for a game? AllFun Skyshot Slugger is free and opens right here in your browser.
Play Skyshot Slugger
