Athletics slugger Brent Rooker was out in the first round of the 2025 Home Run Derby, but he still found time to enjoy being a dad while watching his opponents swing away — and he’s not embarrassed by it one bit.
When one fan called him out via X for feeding his infant daughter during the Derby, he clapped back, calling it “necessary.”
“Yes, it was necessary to feed my 11 month old child her night time bottle at like 9:00 pm,” he wrote on Tuesday, July 15. “Thank you for asking.”
Rooker, 30, first took to X the night before to congratulate Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh on winning the Home Run Derby.
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“What a blast!” he wrote. “It was an honor to compete against those guys and fulfill a childhood dream. Congrats to Cal and everyone else who made it a great night! Still hard to believe I get opportunities to do things like this.”
One fan replied, asking him to stick to sports while on the field.
“Hey Rooker…did you really need to feed your baby on camera?” the fan asked. “Sometimes people just want to see you play.”
In addition to 11-month-old Blake, Rooker and his wife, Allie Oliver, share 3-year-old daughter Blair. After the Derby, he shared a photo of the family of four on the field in a joint Instagram post with his team.
“Proud of our guy 
,” the Athletics’ caption read.
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Baseball has long been a family activity for Rooker. The couple brought Blair to the All-Star Game last year as well, and the toddler is a frequent presence at Athletics games, particularly on the field postgame.
Followers seemed to have the two-time All-Star’s back in the comments section.
“Personally, I think one of the best things is seeing people be loving parents who are there for their kids as much as possible,” Boston Red Sox reporter Gabrielle Star responded. “That’s the ultimate home run.”
Even a Los Angeles Dodgers fan came to his defense, writing, “My kids are 9 & 15 now. Never skip a chance to feed them that bottle while they’re little. The other s*** doesn’t matter.”
“I’m sure with a ballplayer’s schedule, he doesn’t get to give his child a bottle all that often,” a Detroit Tigers fan added. “Maybe it’s something he doesn’t want to miss out on if he doesn’t have to, or maybe he wanted to give his wife a break. Good on him for being a dad.”
