Indians fan wins Home Run Derby VR crown

July 9th, 2019

The second annual Home Run Derby VR championship was won by a local Indians fan prior to the main event at Progressive Field on Monday.

Ohio resident Bill Brunnet Jr. came away with this year's title, earning a prize package that includes a championship trophy, four tickets to the All-Star Game, a custom jersey, a commemorative bat and more.

Brunnet came out on top of a 32-player field, competing in the MLB Home Run Derby VR game, which launched last year on Sony PlaystationVR and HTC Vive via Steam. Developed and distributed by MLB's Games and Virtual Reality team, it was the first VR game created by an American professional sports league and features motion controls that allow players to participate in an immersive Derby recreation.

Fans attending Play Ball Park at the Huntington Convention Center this weekend had an opportunity to compete for a chance to enter Monday's finals. The top 32 players advanced to the HRDVR finals Monday, hosted by MLB Network's Jackie Redmond live on Twitch.