Vladimir Guerrero Jr. bested Randy Arozarena in the final of the MLB Home Run Derby, delighting fans with father-son connections.
The Home Run Derby crown now belongs to Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who managed to follow in his father's footsteps in one more impressive way.
Guerrero Jr. set a new record for home runs in the final of the Derby with 25, setting a pace that Randy Arozarena couldn't keep up with. The Rays star came close in the final seconds, but ultimately fell two home runs shy with 23.
It's impressive enough that Guerrero Jr. has made a name for himself as one of the best bats in baseball but now he's matched his father Vladimir Guerrero as a Home Run Derby champ.
Best memes and tweets as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wins Home Run Derby
Guerrero Jr. is the first Blue Jay to win the Home Run Derby. He did it by outlasting the other seven participants who were seeded into a bracket based on home runs in the first half of the season ahead of All-Star week.
The No. 6 seed, Guerrero Jr. beat out No. 3 seed Mookie Bets with 28 home runs to just 11. In the semifinals, Guerrero Jr. took down No. 7 seed Julio Rodriguez, whose 41 homers in the first round to knock out No. 2 seed Pete Alonso were the most in Derby history in a round.
Arozarena, the No. 5 seed, faced No. 4 seed Adolis Garcia in the first round, winning 24-17. In the semifinals, he bested No. 1 seed Luis Robert Jr., 35-22.
All in all it was a fun event, featuring switch-hitting from Adley Rutchsman and new records set.
