July 10 (UPI) — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smashed a final-round record 25 home runs to beat Randy Arozarena and claim his first Home Run Derby title Monday in Seattle.
“I feel very happy,” Guerrero said on the ESPN broadcast from T-Mobile Park. “I’m just happy to be in this moment right now.”
With his victory, Guerrero and his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., became the first father-son duo to win Home Run Derby titles. The elder Guerrero claimed his slugfest crown in 2007.
His son totaled 72 homers through the three-round competition Monday in Seattle. Those blasts had an average distance of 408 feet and exit velocity of 106.1 mph, according to Statcast.
Guerrero took home a first-place prize of $1 million for his efforts.
Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays totaled 82 homers, with an average distance of 403 feet and exit velocity of 104.2 mph, but fell just short of the title, with 23 blasts in the final round.
Guerrero edged Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts 26-11 in the first round. The Toronto Blue Jays first baseman then beat Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez 21-20 in the semifinals, punching his ticket to the finals.
Arozarena beat Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia 24-17 in the first round. He then beat Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. 35-22 to clinch his spot in the finals.
Guerrero settled in at the plate to start the final round. He proceeded to clobber more than two dozen long balls, with an average exit velocity of 106.6 mph down the stretch.
Arozarena started slow with his response to Guerrero, but heated up late in the round. He finished three blasts shy of edging the Blue Jays star’s final round total.
“I thought the pressure was on him,” Guerrero said. “I thought, ‘If he did it, he did it.’ But I was able to come through.”
Rodriguez hit 41 home runs in the first round, the most ever for a single round of a Home Run Derby. The 2022 runner-up knocked out New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, a two-time champion, in the first round.
Defending champion Juan Soto of the San Diego Padres did not participate in the competition.
Robert smacked the longest blast of the event, with a 484-foot blast in the semifinals. He edged Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman in the first round.
The 2023 MLB All-Star Game will air at 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday on Fox.
