The Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is your new Home Run Derby champion. Guerrero Jr. won the competition by hitting 25 homers in the finals against Randy Arozarena and 72 on the night.
Guerrero Jr. now joins his father and Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero on the list of Home Run Derby champions. The two are now the only father-son duo in the history of the league that has managed to achieve this feat.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made his first Home Run Derby appearance as a rookie in 2019. He set the competition record for homers in a single round, hitting 40 home runs in the semifinals but came short in the finals against Pete Alonso.
Guerrero Jr. didn’t want to return to the competition since, but his family successfully convinced him to give it another go this year. It turned out to be the correct decision, as he got over the hump and showed he was one of the best hitters in the game.
“Everybody was telling me to calm down, to slow down, but you just can’t,” Guerrero told reporters. “You just can’t. You just got to continue to hit homers.”
The 2023 Home Run Derby featured a number of other notable moments, including Julio Rodriguez breaking Guerrero Jr’s record for most single-round homers. Rodriguez launched 41 in the first round before being ousted by the man whose record he brought down.
