Vladimir Guerrero Jr. put on a show in Round 1 of Monday’s Home Run Derby, mashing 29 home runs, but that only was the start.
Joc Pederson of the Los Angeles Dodgers took on Guerrero in Round 2, which turned out to be a battle for the ages. The Toronto Blue Jays third baseman hit 29 home runs for the second straight round to set another record. So that was it, right?
Not quite.
Pederson came up with 29 dingers of his own to tie it up and send the semifinals into a swing-off. Before we continue, let’s reiterate — entering today, no one ever had hit 29 home runs in a single round. We had three separate rounds of 29 bombs apiece Monday night.
The two sluggers eventually ended up going into triple overtime, with Guerrero ultimately coming out on top with 40 home runs to advance to the final round. Pederson finished with 39 second-round homers. Of course, Vlad Guerrero Sr. had to chime in, but he really spoke for all of us with this tweet.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Guerrero Jr.’s extended second round gave him 69 home runs, which was good enough for a Home Run Derby record with one full round still to go, according to MLB Stats.
What a show.
