There were thousands of fans in the outfield stands during Monday's Home Run Derby, and Julio Rodriguez sent each one home with a souvenir.
Well, not quite. But it sure seemed like it.
Playing in front of his home crowd at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, the Mariners centerfielder set the record for most home runs ever hit in a single round of the MLB Home Run Derby.
Rodriguez crushed 41 homers in the opening round, eclipsing the previous record of 40, which was set by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019.
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Rodriguez hit 32 homers over the first three minutes, then added nine more during his 60 seconds of bonus time. The 22-year old advanced to the semifinals after easily defeating two-time derby winner Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, who finished with 21 home runs.
Rodriguez then faced Guerrero, the slugger whose record he topped, in the semifinals and lost 21-20. Guerrero advanced to the final face the Tampa Bay Rays' Randy Arozarena, who hit 35 homers in the semifinals (tied for fourth most all-time in a single round). Guerrero ended the night as the winner, topping Arozarena 25-23.
MLB
Although Rodriguez didn't reach the finals, he once again put on a show in the derby. Last season, he hit 32 home runs in the opening round, which at the time was the fourth-most all-time in a single round. He followed that up by hitting 31 in the second round, tied for fifth-most. He was limited to 18 in the final, losing to Juan Soto, who hit 19.
Rodriguez may have been the 2022 runner-up, but his 81 total home runs was the second-most ever hit in a single derby, trailing only the 91 hit by Guerrero Jr. during his runner-up performance in 2019.
Here's the top performances in MLB Home Run Derby history, all of which have been set in recent years since the derby adopted a time limit that led to rapid-fire swings.
Who has the most home runs in one round of the Home Run Derby?
1. Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners - 41 (2023)
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays - 40 (2019)
3. Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers - 39 (2019)
T-4. Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays - 35 (2023)
T-4. Pete Alonso, New York Mets - 35 (2021)
5. Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners - 32 (2022)
T-6. Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners - 31 (2022)
T-6. Juan Soto, Washington Nationals - 31 (2021)
Who has the most home runs in a Home Run Derby?
1. Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays - 82 (2023)
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays - 81 (2019)
3. Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners - 81 (2022)
4. Pete Alonso, New York Mets - 74 (2021)
T-5. Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners - 61 (2023)
T-5. Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins - 61 (2016)
7. Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers - 60 (2019)
