After setting the record for home runs in a single Home Run Derby in 2019 without winning the whole thing, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. flipped the script in 2023, becoming the Toronto Blue Jays‘ first Derby champ on Monday in Seattle.
He slugged his way to the victory with a quarterfinal win over Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts, a semifinal win over hometown favourite Julio Rodriguez and a title-clinching final win over Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena.
Guerrero Jr. put the pressure on Arozarena by blasting 25 balls over the wall at T-Mobile Park, setting up a nail-biting ending that saw the 2021 AL Rookie of the Year come up two swings short.
Following the Blue Jays’ star’s win, baseball fans took to Twitter to crown the newest home run king.