Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is a familiar name to Home Run Derby fans. The Blue Jays slugger made it all the way to the finals of the annual All-Star event in 2019, where he was edged by Pete Alonso of the Mets.
And, of course, his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., won the extravaganza at the 2007 All-Star Game.
Randy Arozarena, meanwhile, was the American League Rookie of the Year for the Rays in 2020 but doesn’t have the name recognition. At least not yet.
Two of baseball’s bright young talents went mano a mano in the finals of the annual All-Star Home Run Derby Monday night at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park. And here’s something you don’t hear very often in baseball. Time ran out on Arozarena as Guerrero took the title, 25-24.
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That’s because, under the rules, each hitter got 30 seconds of additional time after his round. And if he hit at least two homers measured at over 440 feet, he’d receive an extra 30 seconds on top of that.
Guerrero Jr. went first in the finals. He qualified for the extra time. Arozarena didn’t. But he was coming in strong and more than likely could have at least tied the score if he had the same amount of time.
“I thought the pressure was on him,” Guerrero Jr. told ESPN during the on-field interview after his victory. “And if he did it, he did it. I feel very happy. Just happy to be in this moment right now.”
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The Guerreros are the first father-son duo to win the Derby.
Arozarena, the No. 5 seed, beat No. 1 seed Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox in the semifinals and close friend and former Cardinals teammate Adolis Garcia of the Rangers in the quarterfinals to advance.
Guerrero Jr. was tied with hometown favorite Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners, 20-20, in the semis before he even got into his bonus time, and needed just three swings to end it once the clock started. He easily outdistanced Mookie Betts of the Dodgers in the opening rounds. Betts was the only participant who chose not to use the timeout he had available.
In the quarterfinals, No. 8 seed Adley Rutschman of the Orioles thrilled the crowd by hitting 21 homers from the left side with his father, Randy, serving up the pitches. Then, for his bonus round, he switched to the right side of the plate and connected six more times, giving him a total of 27.
That appeared to be a formidable challenge for the top seed, but Robert Jr. matched that even before his bonus time. He had qualified for an additional 30 seconds by hitting two homers over 440 feet but didn’t need it as he quickly drove a pitch into the seat for the derby equivalent of a walkoff.
In the other three first-round contests, though, the lower seed prevailed.
The feature match-up in the first go-round pitted Rodriguez (7) of the hometown Mariners against Mets slugger Pete Alonso (2). Alonso won his second straight home run derby in 2021 and was gunning for his third in a row last year but was knocked off in the second round of the semifinals by Rodriguez, who then went on to finish one behind Washington’s Juan Soto in the finals.
Rodriguez put on a show for his hometown fans, belting a total of 41 homers in his regular time and two bonus rounds. Even though Alonzo also qualified for extra time, that was a Mt. Ranier-sized hill that he was unable to climb. He finished with 20 homers and was eliminated by Rodriguez for the second straight year.
