Major League Baseball (MLB) holds All-Star week during the second full week of July every season. In the absence of the other major American sports, football, hockey, and basketball, all eyes are on the Midsummer Classic and the events that surround the All-Star game in days prior. This leads the Home Run Derby to be one of the most competitive and enjoyable events of the summer.
All eyes were on Seattle last night to see the star studded line-up on display for the 2023 Home Run Derby. The 8-man bracket had representatives from eight different teams including two-time winner Pete Alonso representing the New York Mets and hometown favorite Julio Rodríguez representing the hosting Seattle Mariners.
The format for the Derby in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals is that each hitter receives three minutes to hit as many home runs as possible, then each hitter will receive a 30-second bonus plus an additional 30 seconds if they hit two home runs longer than 440 feet.
The initial matchups were set based upon current home run totals through the 2023 season.
(1) Luis Robert Jr., CWS vs. (8) Adley Rutschman, BAL
(4) Adolis García, TEX vs. (5) Randy Arozarena, TB
(3) Mookie Betts, LAD vs. (6) Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
(2) Pete Alonso, NYM vs. (7) Julio Rodríguez, SEA
Round One:
The first matchup of the night starts with Randy Arozarena easily upsetting Adolis García 24-17.
The second matchup of the night saw Adley Rutschman take his initial three minutes worth of swings as a left handed batter but then switch and bat right handed for bonus time totaling 27 home runs for the round. Rutschman’s 27 would come up short against Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. who hit 28 during his allotted time.
In the third first-round matchup Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would pick up an easy victory over Mookie Betts by a score of 26-11.
The fourth and final matchup of the first round was the most highly anticipated clash to start the night. The two-time champion Pete Alonso representing the New York Mets against the hometown kid Julio Rodríguez representing the Seattle Mariners. Rodríguez would set a blistering pace with 10 homers in the the first minute of the round, he would sustain this incredible pace for a new single round Home Run Derby record of 41 home runs in the round. This would be too much for even a two-time champ as Alonso was only able to muster up 21 during his allotted time.
Round Two:
(1) Luis Robert Jr., CWS vs. (5) Randy Arozarena, TB
(6) Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR vs. (7) Julio Rodríguez, SEA
Randy Arozarena would kick off the second round with a pace similar to that of Julio Rodriguez in the first round blasting 35 total home runs in the round. This would been enough to move on to the championship round as Luis Robert Jr. was only able to come up with 22.
In the second semifinal, Julio Rodríguez would be well off his original pace from his 41 home run first round and he would end with 20 homers in the semifinal. Guerrero Jr. stepped into the box and had just enough gas in the tank hitting his 21st home run during bonus time to beat Rodríguez and advance to the final.
Championship:
(5) Randy Arozarena, TB vs. (6) Vladimir Guerrero Jr., TOR
A matchup of two American League East foes both representing teams with no former Home Run Derby winners set the stage for an exciting final. Due to the higher getting the second at-bat in each matchup, Guerrero Jr. would be first in the final round despite having been the final batter in the semifinal round. A visibly exhausted Guerrero Jr. was still able to mash 25 home runs setting the tone for the final. Arozarena stepped into the box and blast 21 homers in his two minutes of regulation but was only granted 30 seconds of bonus time after failing to hit two home runs longer than 440 feet. He would hit two more blasts in bonus time but end up short of 25, only tallying 23 for the round.
Champion: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
Just like his father Vladimir Guerrero Sr. in 2007, Vladimir Guerrero now has a Home Run Derby title of his own. With the win it makes the Guerrero’s the first father-son duo ever to both win the Home Run Derby. In addition to Rodríguez’s 41 home run in a single round record, Randy Arozarena’s 84 total home run’s is the second most ever in a single Derby.
All-Star Game:
The Midsummer Classic, America’s favorite past time of baseball brings all baseball fans together to focus on one game every mid-July. For 2023, the American League versus National League would see Gerrit Cole (NYY) take the mound against Zac Gallen (ARI) to start the game.
The Home Run Derby Runner Up, Randy Arozarena, would open up the hitting with a single in the bottom of the first inning before being caught stealing to end the inning just moments later. The National League would find themselves a pair of hits in the top of the second inning but were unable to score. The American League would open up the scoring courtesy of a solo home run from Tampa Bay first baseman Yandy Díaz in the bottom of the second.
After an uneventful third inning the National League would find the scoreboard as J.D. Martinez would score on a single by Luis Arraez making the score 1-1.
The sixth inning would see the American League retake the lead as Salvador Perez would score on a sacrifice fly from Bo Bichette, 2-1.
In the eighth inning after Nick Castellanos drew a lead-off walk, Coorado Rockies Catcher Elias Díaz would blast the National League back into the lead, 3-2. Craig Kimbrel would enter the game in the ninth inning to pitch for the National League, despite allowing two baserunners Kimbrel was able to hold of the American League sealing the 3-2 victory.
Elias Díaz was named the All-Star game Most Valuable Player (MVP). The National League victory marks the first time that they have beaten the American League since the 2012, 8-0 victory, when the All-Star game was in Kansas City. To see which player(s) made the All-Star game from your favorite team, check out the list below.
American League
Baltimore Orioles: Félix Bautista, Yennier Cano, Austin Hays, Adley Rutschman
Boston Red Sox: Kenley Jansen
Chicago White Sox: Luis Robert Jr.
Cleveland Guardians: Emmanuel Clase, José Ramírez
Detroit Tigers: Michael Lorenzen
Houston Astros: Yordan Alvarez, Framber Valdez, Kyle Tucker
Kansas City Royals: Salvador Perez
Los Angeles Angels: Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Carlos Estévez
Minnesota Twins: Sonny Gray, Pablo López
New York Yankees: Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge
Oakland Athletics: Brent Rooker
Seattle Mariners: Luis Castillo, Julio Rodríguez, George Kirby
Tampa Bay Rays: Randy Arozarena, Yandy Díaz, Shane McClanahan, Wander Franco
Texas Rangers: Nathan Eovaldi, Adolis García, Jonah Heim, Josh Jung, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien
Toronto Blue Jays: Bo Bichette, Kevin Gausman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Whit Merrifield, Jordan Romano
National League
Atlanta Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, Bryce Elder, Sean Murphy, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Spencer Strider
Arizona Diamondbacks: Corbin Carroll, Zac Gallen, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Geraldo Perdomo
Chicago Cubs: Justin Steele, Marcus Stroman, Dansby Swanson
Cincinnati Reds: Alexis Díaz
Colorado Rockies: Elias Díaz
Los Angeles Dodgers: Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, J.D. Martinez, Will Smith, Clayton Kershaw
Miami Marlins: Luis Arraez, Jorge Soler
Milwaukee Brewers: Devin Williams, Corbin Burnes
New York Mets: Pete Alonso, Kodai Senga
Philadelphia Phillies: Nick Castellanos, Craig Kimbrel
Pittsburgh Pirates: Mitch Keller, David Bednar
San Diego Padres: Josh Hader, Juan Soto
San Fransisco Giants: Camilo Doval, Alex Cobb
St. Louis Cardinals: Nolan Arenado
Washington Nationals: Josiah Gray
