Julio Rodríguez sets single-round record with 41 HRs, falls in semifinal to Vlad Guerrero Jr.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JULY 10: Julio Rodríguez #44 of the Seattle Mariners bats during the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at T-Mobile Park on July 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
SEATTLE - Seattle Mariners star outfielder Julio Rodríguez set a single-round record with 41 home runs in the opening round of the MLB Home Run Derby, but was toppled by Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vlad Guerrero Jr. in the semifinals.
Rodríguez totaled 61 home runs in total over his two rounds in the Derby, but Guerrero Jr. was able to defeat him 21-20 in the semifinals with bonus time to spare to eliminate the hometown fan favorite.
"It was electric," Rodríguez said. "Just like the fact that we're out here and the whole crowd was into it and they were supporting me, all that. I feel like it meant the world for me, I really enjoyed it and I hope they enjoyed it too."
Rodríguez put on a home run clinic in the opening round in dispatching New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso by a 41-21 margin. Rodríguez went first and set a bar that Alonso – a two-time winner of the Home Run Derby – couldn't match. The 41 home runs by Rodríguez surpassed the 40 home run mark set by Guerrero Jr. in the second round of the 2019 Home Run Derby.
Rodríguez said that he essentially just ran out of stream in the second round. Balls that he'd driven out of the park in the first round instead were popped deep into the outfield instead of over the wall. The pitches were slowly directly more toward center field instead of down the foul line as the swing got tired and slowed down just a touch.
"I wanted to live in the moment, kind of be able to give a show to the Mariners fans and just kind of give it my all. For that second round I was just ..." Rodríguez said while expressing his fatigue. "But it was fun. It feels like your mind is there but your body's not. That's the best way to explain it."
Rodríguez is the only player in Home Run Derby history with multiple rounds of 30 home runs. He's done it three times now after accomplishing the feat twice in last year's Derby en route to an appearance in the final. Juan Soto beat Rodríguez 19-18 in last year's final to deny Rodríguez the crown. Rodríguez finished the event with 81 home runs total in his initial appearance in the event.
Guerrero Jr. held off a Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena 25-23 in the finals to claim his first Home Run Derby crown. Guerrero Jr. lost to Alonso in the finals of the 2019 event.