Teoscar Hernández, a 31-year-old player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, claimed victory in the Home Run Derby by narrowly defeating Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. 14-13 in the final round on Monday night in Arlington, Texas. Hernández achieved 49 home runs over three rounds, covering a total of 3.98 miles, becoming the first Dodgers player to win this event. Kansas City has yet to have a winner in the derby.
During the final round, Witt came close to tying the score but fell short when his last hit landed halfway up the left-center wall. The two were tied with 11 home runs each after their final two-minute round, leading to bonus swings. Witt missed on his first two, then hit two consecutive home runs, including a 457-foot drive, earning one more swing but still fell short.
Witt, a high school home run champion in 2018, was participating in his first Home Run Derby. He had previously defeated Cleveland’s José Ramírez 17-12 in the semifinals. Hernández triumphed over Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm 16-15 after a tiebreaker in which Hernández hit two homers to Bohm’s one. Both were tied at 14 after their initial rounds and bonus segments, with Bohm barely missing a hit that landed on the warning track.
New York Mets’ Pete Alonso, seeking his third derby title, only managed 12 home runs in the first round. Instead, the competition format advanced the top four hitters from the first round to the semifinals, transitioning to a bracket-style showdown.
Other first-round eliminations included Texas’ hometown favorite Adolis García, Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna, and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson. Despite his early exit, Ozuna hit the longest home run of the evening at 473 feet.
Arizona’s sports scene includes the NFL’s Cardinals, NBA’s Suns, WNBA’s Mercury, and MLB’s Diamondbacks. The Cardinals play at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, while the Suns and Mercury share the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. Additionally, the Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena, and the USL’s Phoenix Rising FC calls Phoenix Rising FC Stadium home.
Phoenix hosts major sporting events, including college football’s Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl, the WM Phoenix Open, NASCAR events, and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 MLB teams.