Teoscar Hernández is a Dodger first — a Home Run Derby champion
by Cary Osborne
Teoscar Hernández was the last guy to advance to the semifinals of the 2024 T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Monday at Globe Life Field in Arlington. He had to win a swing-off to get to the final.
And he won the derby by one home run.
Hernández became the first Dodger to win an All-Star Game Home Run Derby when he outlasted Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. 14 home runs to 13 in a thrilling final.
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Making his performance even more impressive, the Dodgers’ power-hitting outfielder, was hit on the right forearm by a pitch on Saturday.
He hit 19 home runs in the first round, finishing fourth out of eight players in the first round.
He went head-to-head with Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm, with each hitting 14 in the semifinal round. Hernández hit two homers in a three-pitch swing-off to Bohm’s one homer.
In the final, Hernández set the pace with 14 homers (11 in the regular round and three in the bonus). Witt Jr. was on 13 after 11 in the regular round and two in the bonus. Witt Jr.’s final swing drove the baseball off the wall in center field.
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This was the 14th time a Dodger has competed in an All-Star Game Home Run Derby and the second time a Dodger reached the final.
Then Dodger outfielder Joc Pederson finished as the runner-up to Todd Frazier in 2015.
Hernández, the 31-year-old Dodger outfielder, hit 49 total home runs on Monday — the longest a 466-foot shot.
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He showcased his easy power — quiet in the batter’s box, drop the barrel on the ball and watch it fly — with Dodger third base coach Dino Ebel pitching.
Hernández described what has made him one of the top power-hitting outfielders in the game two weeks before the derby. It helps explain how he won.
“Everybody says that I have an easy swing, easy power,” Hernández said. “When I hit the ball, the ball jumps. But it’s nothing that I put in my head. I just want to be under control, to be able to control my body the way I want — to control it and to do the things that I know are going to work in the game. I try to be calm, try to be patient, stay focused, and just control my emotions. I think that’s the key when you control emotions, you can control your body, and your body works all together. And that’s, I think, why I create a lot of power when I hit the ball.”
Teoscar Hernández is a Dodger first — a Home Run Derby champion was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.