CLEVELAND — It was a game of, ‘Can you top this?’ and this time around, the rookie defeated the most experienced slugger in the field of competition during the second round of the 2019 MLB Home Run Derby at Progressive Field in Cleveland Monday night.
Following record-tying performances and identical showings in the first two tiebreakers, Toronto Blue Jays rookie Vladimir Guerrero Jr. bested Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson with two home runs in the second of their three-swing run-offs in a memorable semifinal matchup.
Combined over the first two rounds, Guerrero Jr. hit 69 home runs, which including a record-breaking first-round showing, as well as a record-tying second-round effort.
Guerrero Jr. narrowly missed besting his record from the first round when his final swing came up just short of clearing the wall, so he settled for twice having the best single-round total in Home Run Derby history, but in short order, there was company at the top of the list.
After watching Guerrero Jr. belt 29 home runs, Pederson matched that total with a late rally in regulation and a solid showing in the 30-second bonus period.
In the first tiebreaker, in which each competitor got 60 seconds to hit as many as home runs as they could, Guerrero Jr. and Pederson each hit eight home runs. Following that run-off, the semifinal matchup moved into a three-swing tiebreaker.
Both players hit one home run during the first three-swing battle, but it was Guerrero Jr. who belted two round-trippers in the second three-swing tiebreaker, which put him into the finals when Pederson only put one over the wall.
The youngest participant in Home Run Derby history, Guerrero Jr. broke the old record, which was set by Texas Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton in the 2008 competition. Hamilton hit 28 home runs, several of which flirted with leaving the stadium grounds, in the first round of the 2008 Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium in New York City.
Now Guerrero Jr. and Pederson stand atop the all-time leaderboard with 29 home runs in a single round.
