1st Annual Damon Runyon Home Run Derby a Hit

In the spirit of Damon Runyon, whose love of baseball inspired much of his literary career, young boys and girls took to the sports fields named after him in hopes of being declared the inaugural Damon Days Pueblo Home Run Derby champion.

On Sunday, Oct 24, swingers from under the age of 10 through 14 took to the diamond and, over the course of 2 minutes, swatted as many baseballs and softballs over the fence as they could. Those with the most dingers advanced through the Derby, which culminated in a Championship Round under the bright lights of the Runyon Sports Complex.

For their efforts, the winners in each division were presented with a customized trophy baseball bat: a keepsake that certainly will be treasured for a lifetime.

The Derby was made possible through the financial support of Pueblo County, Gonzales Electric and Deb (Ira) Kalb, together with the tireless efforts of the Damon Days Pueblo Committee and an army of good-hearted volunteers, including the Runyon staff and members of the Colorado State University Pueblo softball and baseball teams.

An expanded and more exciting Derby is being planned for Damon Days Pueblo 2022.

Photos courtesy of Jon Pompia and Dalton Sprouse.

Below is a video of the event and pictures.