*Photo from AP News*
Junior is now the king of the derby. Toronto Blue Jays infielder Vladimir Guerrero Jr won the 2023 Home Run Derby in Seattle on Monday night, defeating Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena in the final round.
In 2019, Guerrero Jr hit 91 home runs over the course of the night, losing in the finals to Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. This time around, he needed 72 home runs to pick up the win. In the finals, he needed 25 home runs to take care of Arozarena and win the title.
With Guerrero Jr's win, he follows his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr as home run derby champions, with Guerrero Sr winning the derby in 2007 in San Francisco. They became the first father-son duo in baseball history to each win a home run derby.
Asked about the distinction with his dad, Guerrero Jr said that "To be honest, I don’t remember much about 2007. But I feel great, very happy, very proud that my father and I both won the Derby."
Guerrero Jr has 163 home runs over two home run derby appearances, which ranks him second all time, trailing only Alonso, who came out on top over Guerrero Jr in the 2019 home run derby. He becomes the first Blue Jays player to win a home run derby, and just the second Canadian born player to win, with Justin Morneau being the other.
In round one, Guerrero Jr outslugged Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, with Guerrero Jr hitting 26 home runs to Betts' 11. Round two saw him get past phenom and hometown favorite Julio Rodriguez of the Seattle Mariners. After hitting 41 home runs in round one, Rodriguez only had 20 in the second. Guerrero Jr then hit 21 to advance to the finals.
That was when the showdown came with Arozarena in the finals. Arozarena beat outfielder Adolis Garcia of the Texas Rangers 24-17 in the first round, followed by a 35-22 win over outfielder Luis Robert Jr of the Chicago White Sox.
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