Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wins Home Run Derby

SEATTLE — Like father, like son. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. duplicated the feat set by his father 16 years ago on Monday, winning the 2023 Home Run Derby at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park.

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Guerrero Jr., the slugging first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, outlasted Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays 25-23 in the final round. He joins his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., who won the 2007 contest, as a winner in the annual event. They are the first father-son combination to win the Home Run Derby, ESPN reported.

The elder Guerrero was playing for the Los Angeles Angels when he edged Toronto’s Alex Rios in the final, according to The Associated Press.

Guerrero Jr., 24, advanced in his first Home Run Derby in four years by defeating Mookie Betts 26-11 in the first round and knocking off hometown favorite Julio Rodriguez 21-20 in the second round. Rodriguez had advanced to the second round by dispatching two-time champion Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, 41- 21.

Rodriguez’s 41-homer barrage broke Guerrero Jr.’s modern record for homers in a single round, according to The Athletic.

Arozarena, the first Tampa Bay player to advance past the first round of the event, defeated Adolis Garcia 24-17 in the first round and topped Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox, 35-22.

Robert hit the longest home run of the event, driving a pitch 484 to left field in the second round, according to the AP. That broke the record of 476 feet, set by Barry Bonds in 2001.

As a rookie in 2019, Guerrero set a record with 91 home runs in a single Home Run Derby but lost to Alonso in the final, The Athletic reported.

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