In different phrases, it was an eventful evening. And how about this as a capper: The eight sluggers who squared off as a prelude to Tuesday evening’s All-Star Game hit for a marathon. Yes, a marathon. More on that eye-popping achievement under, together with 18 different superb Derby details.
– The eight contestants on Monday evening mixed for a whopping 341 residence runs, smashing the earlier report of 312 set in 2019. How can we quantify 341 homers? That’s greater than MLB’s two most homer-happy groups, the Braves and Dodgers, mixed to hit in all the first half of the season (318). The single-season crew report is 307, set by the Twins in 2019.
– And how far did these homers fly? Try a mixed distance of 138,723 toes. That comes out to 26.27 miles — often known as … barely greater than a marathon (26.2).
– To put that within the context of a well-known Seattle landmark, you would need to put 230 Space Needles finish to finish to beat that distance.
– Vlad Jr. joined his Hall of Fame father, Vlad Sr., as a Home Run Derby champion, which makes them the one father-son duo to each win Home Run Derby titles. The older Guerrero received the 2007 Derby in San Francisco as a member of the Angels, when his son was eight years outdated.
– Vlad Sr. defeated Alex Rios within the finals of that Home Run Derby, 3-2, and totaled 17 residence runs within the contest. Vlad Jr. eclipsed that complete in every of his particular person rounds in 2023, albeit underneath totally different guidelines.
– Guerrero set a report for essentially the most residence runs in a closing spherical of the Home Run Derby along with his 25. That surpassed the 23 residence runs Pete Alonso hit within the closing spherical of every of his Derby championships in 2019 and 2021 — the primary of these was to defeat Vlad Jr.
– Guerrero grew to become the primary Blue Jays participant to win the Derby, avenging three runner-up finishes: his personal in 2019, Jose Bautista’s in 2012 and Rios’ in 2007. This was Toronto’s seventeenth time with a Derby consultant, and the franchise now turns into the twentieth with not less than one Derby title.
– Guerrero’s win implies that East Division groups proceed to dominate the Derby. Each of the previous seven Derby titles going again to 2016 has been received by a participant from both the AL East (two) or NL East (5). The final Central or West participant to win was the Reds’ Todd Frazier in 2015.
A more-than-worthy challenger
– Arozarena knocked out No. 1 seed Luis Robert Jr. within the semifinals subsequent, taking down a fellow native of Cuba for the second straight spherical. His 35 large flies there tied for the fourth most in a single spherical in Derby historical past. With Arozarena developing brief within the finals, although, Yoenis Céspedes (2013-14) stays the one Cuban champion.
– Arozarena led all opponents with 82 residence runs on the evening, the second most by a participant in a single Derby. Coincidentally, the report is held by Guerrero, who additionally got here up wanting the title whereas hitting 91 in 2019.
– Rodríguez placed on a jaw-dropping show within the opening spherical. J-Rod blasted 41 residence runs to set a single-round report for a Home Run Derby — breaking Guerrero’s mark of 40 set within the semifinals in 2019. The Mariners’ hometown All-Star used that record-setting efficiency to knock two-time Derby champion Alonso out of the competitors for a second yr in a row earlier than finally falling to Guerrero.
– Rodríguez is now chargeable for three of the eight rounds of not less than 30 homers in Home Run Derby historical past. (All of these rounds have come since 2019, reflecting the change to a extra homer-friendly format). No different participant has a couple of 30-homer spherical.
– How locked in was J-Rod proper from the beginning? He homered on 10 of his first 11 swings, with lower than one minute going off the clock. He additionally took benefit of his one-minute bonus interval, crushing 9 extra homers to get to 41.
– Rutschman placed on fairly a present within the first spherical, popping 27 residence runs earlier than being surpassed by Robert. The first 21 got here left-handed, however Rutschman rotated to bat righty for the 30-second bonus time interval and added six extra to his complete. Rutschman was the one switch-hitter within the occasion, in addition to the one participant to bat left-handed. The Derby nonetheless has by no means had a switch-hitter win the title outright, though Ruben Sierra was a co-champion alongside Eric Davis manner again in 1989.
– Some extra historical past that Rutschman couldn’t overcome regardless of his greatest efforts: No catcher has ever received a Derby.
– The unhealthy information for Alonso? He fell within the first spherical, due to a superhuman effort from Rodríguez, stopping him from tying Ken Griffey Jr.’s report of three profession Derby titles. The comfort prize? With 21 dingers of his personal, Alonso added to his report profession complete within the Derby — aided after all by the rule adjustments. The Polar Bear now has gone deep 195 instances in 4 Derby appearances, 32 forward of Guerrero (163 in two appearances). Rodríguez is now third with 142 Derby homers in two appearances.
-Despite being knocked out within the semifinal spherical by Arozarena, Robert hit the six longest residence runs within the Derby, together with a monstrous 484-foot homer within the second spherical. His 421-foot common residence run distance was the most effective of any of the contestants whereas his 11 residence runs hit 440-plus toes had been tied for essentially the most with Vlad Jr.
– Mookie Betts made his Derby debut and fell to Guerrero within the first spherical, 26-11. As such, the Dodgers nonetheless shouldn’t have a Derby champion of their historical past, with solely Joc Pederson in 2015 making it to the ultimate spherical. L.A. is considered one of 10 groups nonetheless with no Derby title, with the Blue Jays falling off the checklist. The others? The Astros, Braves, Cardinals, Guardians, Padres, Pirates, Rays, Rockies and Royals.
Content Source: www.mlb.com