![]() ![]() Well, maybe after what Shohei Ohtani does. Also, I think if I could somehow be brand-new to baseball as an adult, switch-hitting would be the skill that blows my mind the most. They all just faced out, watching the balls fly over their heads. The swarms of fielding children didn’t even turn around to look at home plate. ← me watching the bonus 30 seconds he took from the right side. HK: I was worried about Rutschman going with the sentimental pick - his dad throwing to him - but that turned out to be a sound strategy. That was impressive for a Pacific Northwest kid. OK, then he switched to hitting right-handed and crushed the bonus round. ZC: The only thing that worried me about Rutschman is whether he was going to literally nail me with a home run ball out in the auxiliary press box. Betts’ five-tool approach to baseball was no match for Guerrero’s willingness to sacrifice his back to launch bombs. Guerrero was swinging out of his shoes on every one - and I was going to say something about Betts, but I noticed shortly after his round that Guerrero is wearing a back brace of some kind, and that makes so much sense. HK: The difference in swing violence between Guerrero and Betts is so dramatic. If nothing else, Mookie wins major points in Seattle for going with Ken Griffey Jr.’s backward cap look. ZC: The net result of the Robert-Rutschman round is that Guerrero’s 26 homers somehow feel underwhelming. Seattle superstar Julio Rodriguez delivered for the home fans with 41 home runs, a single-round Derby record, in the first round of the competition Monday at T-Mobile Park. The dream continues for Seattle as Pete falls well short. ZC: Pete Alonso was hitting homers, but the crowd was restraining any and all excitement in solidarity with the hometown hero, which created a very strange atmosphere. ![]() That 41-homer round is the new single-round record, and the previous record came with tiebreakers involved. ![]() ZC: He was hitting home runs so fast that I could not watch him swing because there were too many longballs landing in the upper deck. He is so, so beloved in this city that even his slight sophomore slump this season has been kind of hard to watch! Mariners fans want so badly to have reason to root for him and the team.īut he just set the record for the most home runs ever hit in a single round of the Derby. ![]() He’s the only contestant for whom the expectations surrounding his performance have been building for a full year. I have to admit, I was actually a little anxious that there was getting to be too much pressure on Julio in this Home Run Derby. HK: I think I speak for everyone when I say this is the matchup we’re all here to see. Get ready for some playoff Randy madness. ZC: But it’s Arozarena headed to the finals. HK: Credit to the Derby catchers for staying at all locked in on this. This is a man so powerful he does not need to be tactical with his homer hitting. He clanked one off the batter’s eye in straight-away center field. Luis Robert Jr., meanwhile, hit the most viscerally powerful homers. ZC: Randy Arozarena unsurprisingly was up for the fight in the semifinals, launching 35. HK: The crowd is definitely saving up their cheers for Julio now, resting their voices during the other rounds. HK: When they all take care of their tired friend? That's my favorite. "What do you think guys? Should I hit more homers or fewer homers?" ZC: I do enjoy the mid-round strategy sessions with other players. This is going to be a fascinating social experiment as Seattle fans have to choose whom to root for in the finals. ZC: Julio runs into trouble against Guerrero. He used up so much energy hitting 40 home runs in the first round, when he needed only 22 to beat Pete. HK: Strategy take: Going first was bad for Julio’s chances. (AP Photo/John Froschauer) SEMIFINALS Vladimir Guerrero Jr. powered his way to the 2023 Home Run Derby title on Monday in Seattle. With rounds of 26, 25 and 21 home runs, Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ![]()
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