(July 8, 2019) — Revolution greats past and present will headline the Home Run Derby at the 2019 Atlantic League All Star Game. Telvin Nash will take on the Atlantic League field of batters, and Corey Thurman will join Revolution broadcaster Darrell Henry to “call” the derby for fans from on the field.
Thurman will also serve as an honorary captain before the game, filling in for his former skipper Andy Etchebarren, who was forced to turn down the honor due to medical concerns. Thurman, whose number was retired by the Revolution like Etchebarren’s, will join Orioles great and former White Rose infielder Brooks Robinson—the third bearer of a number retired by the Revolution—as an honorary captain.
The unique Home Run Derby format will feature eight local military veterans paired with Atlantic League sluggers competing to raise money for the veterans’ charities. A scoring system will allow the veteran participants to score points for balls hit out of the infield and to various parts of the field, in addition to home runs. Atlantic League hitters will score only with home runs and will compete individually for the league crown.
Local veteran participants include Trevor Cohenour, Fred Hansen, Daniel Picone, Bill Kohler, Aimee Morris, Dan Byrnes, and David Fyfe. Designated charities selected by the participants to date include York County Veteran’s Outreach and Mr. Sandy’s Homeless Shelter. A minimum charity donation of $1,000 is guaranteed, but more could be earned based on the scoring results.
“From the start, we wanted to do more than a traditional home run derby,” said Revolution General Manager John Gibson. “Everything we do, we try to connect to the York community and find ways to contribute to important local causes. This format is a great way to broaden participation in the home run derby, add a local element to it, and raise money for worthwhile charities. At the same time, it will be great to see Telvin lead the pack in front of the home crowd. He hits titanic home runs in game situations, so it will be fun to watch.”
While the players and locals are battling it out on the field, Henry and Thurman will provide live commentary over the ballpark public address system. Both are fan favorites.
Henry has broadcast virtually every Revolution game since the team’s inception in 2007, missing only four games for the birth of his children, much to the relief of his wife Kristen. His total currently stands at 1,732 games broadcast. He has never missed broadcasting a Revolution home game – his total on that score is 873. Henry also serves as the General Manager of Sports Radio 98.9 FM/1350 AM WOYK.
Thurman was the team leader on and off the field for the Revolution from 2008-2015. As a starting pitcher, he is the franchise’s all-time leader in wins (66), strikeouts (667), and innings pitched (980.1). He is second all-time in the Atlantic League in wins. He remains the longest-tenured player in club history. He pitched the Revolution to its first two Atlantic League championships in 2010 and 2011 and was the starter for the Freedom Division in the 2011 All-Star Game in York. His jersey number was retired in 2016.
In his fifth at least partial season with the Revs, Nash currently leads the Atlantic League in home runs with 21. He set a Revolution career mark on June 15 of this year when he hit his 67th “Nash Smash” as a Rev. His mark currently sits at 74.
Nash officially joined the Revs for the first time on June 16, 2015, and it did not take long to realize the Revs had acquired a special hitter. Nash went on a tear down the stretch and finished with eight homers in the season’s final 16 games and an incredible 40 walks over the final 51 games as a preview of what was to come in the next three seasons. In 2016, he was the centerpiece of a first-half championship lineup while he was there, leading the league with 15 home runs, when his contract was purchased by the Chicago White Sox on June 22, eight days before the Revs clinched a playoff spot.
Nash returned to York on July 25, 2017, and, in dramatic fashion, went yard in his season debut. After blasting 14 bombs in his first 33 games back, Nash piled up a total of 16 round trippers in the second half, helping drive the Revs back into the postseason. Always having a flair for the dramatic, Nash returned to the Revs for a fourth season on August 3 last year and crushed a pair of home runs in his first game back. After clubbing nine total and being named Atlantic League Player of the Month in August, Nash reached no. 3 on the Revs’ all-time home run list with 53. His return in 2019 put him just a “matter of time” away from moving to the top of the chart.