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Teoscar Hernandez becomes 1st Dodger to win Home Run Derby – Daily News

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Teoscar Hernandez becomes 1st Dodger to win Home Run Derby – Daily News

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Baseball Author

ARLINGTON, Texas — When Teoscar Hernández wanted a second to relax in the course of the Dwelling Run Derby, the Dodgers outfielder received a lift from a former teammate who simply occurred to be final 12 months’s champion.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wore a Toronto Blue Jays jersey with Hernández’s title and No. 37 on the again as he watched the competitors, honoring his buddy from their time as Toronto teammates from 2017-22.

“That was a shock of the evening,” Hernández mentioned. “He brings my jersey from Toronto, and when he goes to dwelling plate. He was attempting to calm (me) down, and so he had handed two occasions, and it really works. He mentioned he needed to assist me going into the final spherical.”

Hernández gained the Dwelling Run Derby when he edged native star Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas Metropolis Royals, 14-13, within the ultimate spherical Monday evening. Hernández, who has been “invaluable” to the Dodgers throughout his first season with the group, obtained $1 million and a diamond-encrusted chain for his win.

The 31-year-old Hernández hit 49 homers over three rounds that totaled 3.98 miles (his longest traveled 466 ft) and have become the primary Dodgers participant to win the derby amongst 11 who’ve tried. Whereas not taking part within the derby this 12 months, Guerrero gave Hernández recommendation throughout breaks.

“If I’ve to wager, it doesn’t matter who I’m going in opposition to, I’m going to wager on myself,” Hernández mentioned when requested if he felt just like the underdog. “Individuals possibly underestimate myself.”

Witt, needing one dwelling run to tie with one out remaining, drove a ball to one of many deepest elements of Globe Life Area in left-center, the place it hit midway up the wall to the left of the 410-foot signal.

“After I hit it I knew I sort of – I didn’t hit it nice. However, yeah, I simply was attempting to blow on it or one thing,” Witt mentioned with a chuckle. “The very first thing I believed was simply no pop. … We received to do a pair extra curls or one thing.”

Kansas Metropolis has by no means had a derby winner.

Each completed their two-minute ultimate spherical with 11 homers, earlier than bonus swings had been added. Witt got here up wanting his first two bonus swings, then hit two homers in a row – one a 457-foot drive that received him another swing.

Witt was the No. 2 general choose by the Royals in 2019 out of Colleyville Heritage Excessive Faculty, about 15 miles north of the Texas Rangers’ stadium. It was his first time within the derby, however he was the highschool dwelling run champion in Washington in 2018 – and is the one participant to compete in each contests.

The 24-year-old Witt completed with 50 homers general that traveled 3.8 miles.

Witt had knocked out Cleveland switch-hitter José Ramírez 17-12 within the semifinals. Hernández beat Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm, 16-15, after a tiebreaker when each received three swings – Hernández hit two out, and Bohm one. They had been tied at 14 after the three-minute section and their bonus rounds, and Bohm got here near avoiding that, however the final ball he hit then landed on the warning observe in left-center subject.

Ramírez and Bohm each hit 21 homers to tempo the primary spherical. Witt began with 20 homers and Hernández had 19.

The New York Mets’ Pete Alonso fell quick in his bid to affix Ken Griffey Jr. as a three-time derby champion when he hit solely 12 homers within the first spherical.

As an alternative of a single-elimination bracket like final 12 months, the 4 hitters with probably the most homers within the first spherical superior to the semifinal spherical. It then turned a bracket-style competitors.

Alonso hit a 428-foot homer to left-center subject on his first swing, however couldn’t get right into a rhythm. The others knocked out after the primary spherical had been hometown favourite Adolis García of Texas, Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson.

“It’s disappointing, however for me, I believe it’s actually only a blessing and it’s simply enjoyable being on the market,” Alonso mentioned. “On the finish of the day, it wasn’t my day.”

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