Guerrero Jr. wins Home Run Derby after J-Rod’s record-breaking first round
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In 2019, Mets slugger Pete Alonso hoisted the Home Run Derby trophy at Progressive Field in Cleveland — his first of two crowns — and the young Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could only watch.
That derby’s runner up, and one of baseball’s most-promising stars at the time, Toronto’s first baseman was minutes removed from the greatest single round in derby history. His 40 home runs in 2019’s second round went for naught in the final when Alonso eked out a 23-22 victory.
The pandemic then erased a 2020 derby, and Guerrero Jr. passed on the chance to participate in 2021-22.
Family begged him to return, including Hall-of-Fame father Vladimir Sr.
And so he did.
The second time was the charm, as Guerrero Jr. hoisted the infamous Home Run Derby trophy on Monday night — the 2023 champion after narrowly edging Tampa Bay’s Randy Arozarena in the final round at T-Mobile Park.
The bracket’s most consistent performer, Guerrero Jr. raced past Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts in the first round (26-11), knocked out hometown hero Julio Rodriguez in the second (21-20), and defeated Arozarena for the elusive Derby crown (25-23).
“They’ve been asking (me) to do it again. And (I) won,” Guerrero Jr. said through a translator.
Guerrero Jr. and Guererro Sr. become the first father-son duo to win the derby in baseball history; the latter won the 2007 derby in San Francisco with his son in attendance.
Monday’s derby winner received simple advice from his Hall-of-Fame dad: “No advice. Hit homers,” Guerrero Jr. recalled.
Julio Rodriguez may not have left T-Mobile Park a champion, but “The J-Rod Show” still made derby history. In a near-doubling of Alonso’s score, Rodriguez ran away in the first round, 41-21.
His 41 homers are the most in a single round in derby history, breaking Guerrero Jr.’s 2019 record by one. And he did it in front of his crowd, in his building. “Julio” chants, like they had several times prior, erupted among the sellout crowd of 46,952.
“I knew he was going to do that,” Guerrero Jr. said of Rodriguez’s first round.
Guerrero Jr., ultimately, played spoiler. The lower seed, Rodriguez led off against the Toronto star in the semifinals with less than his first-round total (20).
“Your mind is there, but your body’s not,” Rodriguez said.
Time was on Guerrero Jr.‘s side. And he knew. He approached 20 homers well within his allotted three-minute time frame, even taking a few seconds for a breather.
Guerrero Jr. entered bonus time with 20, needing only one to beat Rodriguez. When the clinching blast fell into T-Mobile Park’s bullpens, he instantly found Rodriguez for an embrace. The crowd split between cheers and jeers, and Guerrero Jr. went on to become the first Blue Jays player to ever win the derby.
“My goal, as soon as I stepped on the field, was to give a show to the crowd,” Rodriguez said. “Give them something that they will enjoy. I hope they enjoyed my performance out there.”
Will Vlad Jr. return to defend his derby title in 2024?
“If you ask me right now, no,” he said. “If you ask me next year, I’ll give you a better answer.”
This story was originally published July 10, 2023 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Guerrero Jr. wins Home Run Derby after J-Rod’s record-breaking first round."
