Monday night’s Home Run Derby at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio was one for the ages.
Eight sluggers competed for the chance to win $1.6 million in total prize money, with $1 million going to the winner, $500,000 to the second-place finisher, and $100,000 going to the player who hit the longest home run on the night.
Who would’ve ever guessed that the prize money would go to two rookies whose annual salaries are less than the amounts of money that they won last night?
The big winner of the night was New York Mets rookie first baseman Pete Alonso, who won the contest and took home a million dollars after beating out Toronto Blue Jays phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr. by a 23-22 tally in the final round.
Guerrero, who was visibly tired after a marathon second round in which his showdown against Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson went to two “swing off” tiebreakers, gave it his all, but was overcome by the burly first baseman who has totaled 30 home runs in a breakout rookie campaign.
The Blue Jays third baseman didn’t go home empty-handed himself after hitting an impressive total of 91 home runs. He hit a 476-foot blast, the longest of the night, and set the record as the youngest participant in the history of the competition at 20 years old.
It was a memorable contest full of moonshots and drama that baseball fans won’t soon forget.
