Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. beat Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena 25-23 in the final of the Home Run Derby on Monday in Seattle.
Guerrero is the first Blue Jay in history to win the competition. He was runner-up in 2019 when Guerrero set a record for most overall homers in the Derby with 91.
Guerrero hit first in the championship, putting up a final-round record total of 25 (in a two-minute opening round and one-minute bonus round) on pitches from Blue Jays manager John Schneider. The first baseman also will play in Tuesday’s All-Star Game.
After Seattle Mariners outfielder and fan favourite Julio Rodriguez hit 20 homers to open the second semi, Guerrero matched that total in his three-minute opening segment. The Blue Jays star needed fewer than 15 seconds in his one-minute bonus round to book his ticket to the final.
Mariners fans cheered when Guerrero didn’t hit a home run on his attempts, showing support for Rodriguez.
Arozarena beat Chicago White Sox outfielder and fellow Cuban Luis Robert Jr. 35-22 in the first semifinal.
Arozarena had 30 homers in his three-minute opening segment of the semis and then added five more in the one-minute bonus round.
The sixth-seeded Guerrero appeared fatigued at times, but still managed 26 home runs over his three-minute opening round and 60-second bonus round in the quarterfinals. That was more than enough. His opponent, the third-seeded Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers, followed with 11 homers.
Rodriguez, the hometown favourite, was the star of the quarterfinals. He hit a single-round record 41 homers, one more than Guerrero managed in 2019. The seventh-seeded Rodriguez, the runner-up last year after a dynamic performance, crushed No. 2 seed Pete Alonso of the New York Mets 41-21.
The fourth-seeded Arozarena opened the competition with a 24-17 win over No. 5 Adolis Garcia of the Texas Rangers. The two are close friends and former St. Louis Cardinals minor-leaguers.
Young Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, a native of nearby Portland, had the crowd buzzing, belting 21 homers hitting as a lefty in the three-minute opening round and then drilling seven of eight pitches out of the park as a righty in the 30-second bonus round. But the top-seeded Robert Jr. showcased almost effortless power, hitting 27 in his three-minute opening round and then two more in a 60-second bonus round (awarded for hitting two homers over 440 feet in the first round) to take the win in the second quarterfinal.
