Julio Rodriguez was incredibly impressive in 2022 Home Run Derby

I still can’t get over what happened in the 2022 Home Run Derby. Julio Rodriguez led off the event, and I have to admit that I was worried a bit about how he would do. It’s a totally different thing than hitting in a cage, as being out in the open and on that grand of a stage can be a bit discomforting.

Well, as Ty France said to people who were a bit worried like I was…

"“Those are obviously people who haven’t watched Julio Rodríguez take batting practice.”"

Sit back, relax, and watch the glory that was round one of the Home Run Derby for Julio Rodriguez.

Julio Rodriguez put on a massive show, which was beautiful to watch. Heading into this year’s home run derby, there had been four rounds in derby history in which a player had hit 30 homers. In the first round, Julio joined that group by hitting an insane 32 home runs. Line drives, wall scrapers, and monster bombs… he had them all. He crushed Corey Seager, which kind of made it that much better.

The real contest, and worry, came next. He was going up against Polar Bear Pete Alonso, the reigning two-time champ. Alonso has gone big in a round before, holding the #3 spot on most homers ever in a round with 35. They were talking about how Julio would need to put up at least 20 to have a chance to beat Pete. The announcers were incorrect, as Julio wouldn’t hit in the 20s.

BECAUSE HE HIT IN THE 30’s AGAIN!

That’s right. Julio Rodriguez, after hitting 32 home runs in the first round, would come out and hit 31 in the second round. There are now six occurrences of players hitting 30+ in a round… and Julio Rodriguez has two of them.

The Mariners were trying so hard to keep up with Julio, that they actually broke the “O” key on their keyboard! Maybe it was some unfortunate foreshadowing, as their laptop wasn’t the only thing that was running out of juice. Julio did seem a bit tired in the final round, hitting just 18 home runs. Well, at least that’s what they had the count at. Supposedly, he hit more than that and they weren’t counted.

Let’s not focus on that though. Julio had a special night and ended up coming up short to Juan Soto in the finals, who bested him before getting to his bonus time. The Home Run Derby is a lot better than it used to be, although, like most of these competitions, it still has its flaws. Julio put up the 3rd most home runs ever in a derby, besting Soto by 28, and lost. Soto did have time to spare in his appearances, so it’s possible he could’ve hit more.

One thing is for certain though, this was a great thing for baseball. You ended up with two of the best and brightest young stars in the game owning the night and finishing up by going head-to-head in the finals.

It was a wonderful and magical night, and the world of baseball is a bit more familiar with Julio now. He’s well on his way to having a legit argument as the face of baseball, and I love it. For the first time all year, it wasn’t just Seattle chanting his name, it was all of baseball.

JULIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!