ESPN's live coverage of the 2023 MLB Home Run Derby in Seattle began with a nostalgic tribute to the greatest Mariners' player of all time, Ken Griffey Jr. When sluggers like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds were in their prime during the 1990s, Ken Griffey Jr. won three Home Run Derbies--an MLB record that remains intact. With "The Kid" in attendance, Julio Rodriguez dazzled the home crowd at T-Mobile Park as the Mariners' lone representative in this year's Home Run Derby by belting 41 homers in the first round of the competition and eliminating Pete Alonso (from the New York Mets) for the second year in a row. The sell-out crowd roared during each of Rodriguez's at-bats as the Center Fielder swatted his way to the semifinals, where he was narrowly defeated by Toronto Bluejays All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Vladdy's victory set up a showdown against Tampa Bay Rays' All-Star, Randy Arozarena, who bested Luis Robert Jr. (of the Chicago White Sox) in the semifinals.
Last night, Randy Arozarena finished the 2023 Home Run Derby with a total of 83 home runs, making his performance the second-best in the history of the All-Star event, behind Vladdy's record-setting display in 2019. When the two AL East rivals faced off in the event's decisive finale, Arozarena's 23 dingers were not enough to surpass Vladdy's count of 25.
At the night's end, Vladdy hoisted the Home Run Derby trophy 16 years after his father won the same event as a member of the Los Angeles Angels during All-Star week at Oracle Park in San Francisco. The remarkable feat makes Vladimir Guerrero Sr. and Vladdy the first father-son to attain such an accomplishment.
Shortly after Vladdy won the Home Run Derby, he and his father took to Instagram to celebrate their rare accomplishment with a joint post featuring a side-by-side image and a caption that said, "The first father-son duo to win the Derby [heart emoji]."
Source: Instagram
