ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — When Teoscar Hernández wanted a second to settle down through the Residence Run Derby, the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger bought a lift from a former teammate who simply occurred to be final yr’s champion.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wore a Blue Jays jersey with Hernández’s identify and No. 37 on the again as he watched the competitors, honoring his pal from their time as Toronto teammates from 2017-22.
“That was a shock of the night time,” Herrnández mentioned. “He brings my jersey from Toronto, and when he goes to residence plate. He was making an attempt to calm (me) down, and so he had handed two occasions, and it really works. He mentioned he needed to assist me going into the final spherical.”
Hernández received the Residence Run Derby when he beat native star Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas Metropolis Royals 14-13 within the last spherical Monday night time.
The 31-year-old Hernández hit 49 homers over three rounds that totaled 3.98 miles and have become the primary Dodgers participant to win the derby amongst 11 who’ve tried. Whereas not taking part within the derby this yr, Guerrero gave Hernández recommendation throughout breaks.
“If I’ve to wager, it doesn’t matter who I’m going in opposition to, I’m going to wager on myself,” Hernández mentioned when requested if he felt just like the underdog. “Individuals perhaps underestimate myself.”
Witt, needing one residence run to tie with one out remaining, drove a ball to one of many deepest elements of Globe Life Area in left-center, the place it hit midway up the wall to the left of the 410-foot signal.
“After I hit it I knew I form of — I didn’t hit it nice. However, yeah, I simply was making an attempt to blow on it or one thing,” Witt mentioned with a chuckle. “The very first thing I assumed was simply no pop. … We bought to do a pair extra curls or one thing.”
Kansas Metropolis has by no means had a derby winner.
Each completed their two-minute last spherical with 11 homers, earlier than bonus swings had been added. Witt got here up wanting his first two bonus swings, then hit two homers in a row — one a 457-foot drive that bought him yet one more swing.
Witt was the No. 2 total choose by the Royals in 2019 out of Colleyville Heritage Excessive College, about 15 miles north of the Rangers’ stadium. It was his first time within the derby, however he was the highschool residence run champion in Washington in 2018 — and is the one participant to compete in each contests.
The 24-year-old Witt completed with 50 homers total that traveled 3.8 miles.
Witt had knocked out Cleveland switch-hitter José Ramírez 17-12 within the semifinals. Hernández beat Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm 16-15 after a tiebreaker when each bought three swings — Hernández hit two out, and Bohm one. They had been tied at 14 after the three-minute section and their bonus rounds, and Bohm got here near avoiding that, however the final ball he hit then landed on the warning monitor in left-center discipline.
Ramírez and Bohm each hit 21 homers to tempo the primary spherical. Witt began with 20 homers and Hernández had 19.
The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso fell quick in his bid to affix Ken Griffey Jr. as a three-time derby champion when he hit solely 12 homers within the first spherical.
As an alternative of a single-elimination bracket like final yr, the 4 hitters with probably the most homers within the first spherical superior to the semifinal spherical. It then turned a bracket-style competitors.
Alonso hit a 428-foot homer to left-centerfield on his first swing, however couldn’t get right into a rhythm. The others knocked out after the primary spherical had been hometown favourite Adolis García of Texas, Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson.
“It’s disappointing, however for me, I feel it’s actually only a blessing and it’s simply enjoyable being on the market,” Alonso mentioned. “On the finish of the day, it wasn’t my day.”
Ozuna did have the longest homer of the night time at 473 toes. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels in 2022, and Oakland’s Seth Brown in 2021 have each hit 472 toes homers in video games on the stadium that’s now in its fifth season.
Bohm, one in all a franchise-record eight Phillies named All-Stars, has solely 11 homers this season — the fewest among the many eight derby rivals. He mentioned he was going to attempt to hit as many balls as he may to left discipline and did — pulling all 21 of his homers that manner within the first spherical.
It nonetheless felt like 100 levels (38 Celsius) outdoors the ballpark when the derby started, however the retractable roof was closed on the stadium that opened in 2020. When the Rangers hosted the 1995 All-Star Sport throughout the road of their outdated stadium and not using a roof, the derby wasn’t but a prime-time occasion and was held within the sweltering mid-afternoon warmth.
Frank Thomas received in 1995 with 15 homers over three rounds in a unique format. Albert Belle completed with a complete of 16, then a Residence Run Derby file, however Thomas beat him 3-2 within the last spherical.
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