J-Rod thrills Seattle fans with record 1st round in HR Derby

SEATTLE -- This is his house and his city, and for Julio Rodríguez, the spectacle in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby was again spectacular.

But as was the case last year, when he finished runner-up as a rookie, Rodríguez had arguably the night’s most electric performance -- but it didn’t carry over into a crown in the jewel event.

• T-Mobile Home Run Derby: Complete coverage

J-Rod crushed a Derby-record 41 homers in the opening round to dispatch the Mets’ Pete Alonso, a two-time champ. But he was eliminated in the semifinals by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. after hitting only 20 to the 21 from the Blue Jays slugger, who won the event over the Rays’ Randy Arozarena.

“It was electric,” Rodríguez said. “Just like the fact that we're out here and the whole crowd was into it and they were supporting me, all that. I feel like it meant the world for me, I really enjoyed it and I hope they enjoyed it too.”

Even in defeat, it was still a monumental night for the Mariners’ blossoming star and an opportunity to represent the franchise on this global stage.

The 41 homers in a single round surpassed the previous high of 40 that Guerrero hit in the second round at Cleveland’s Progressive Field in 2019, a Derby that Guerrero wound up losing in the finals, making Monday a reiteration of how vital stamina is in baseball’s prestigious power event.

Rodríguez took 59 swings in the opening act, according to the ESPN telecast, converting them into homers for a 69.5% rate. But he tapered off in the second round, when he swung 44 times for a conversion rate of 45.4% and saw many fly balls die deep in left-center field. Rodríguez also experienced some diminished bat speed from the first round to the second (104.1 mph to 102.7 on his homers) and distance (404 feet to 399 feet).

“It feels like your mind is there, but your body is not,” Rodríguez said of the fall-off. “That's the best way to explain it.”

He was at his best on Monday when using the shortest direction to the pull side, specifically aiming for the visiting bullpen and Edgar’s Cantina, as each of his 61 went to the left of straightaway center. But as the night wore on and his swing got longer, Rodríguez was more middle of the field, which led to multiple balls landing at the warning track in his final round.

“I wanted to live in the moment, kind of be able to give a show to the Mariners fans and just kind of give it my all. For that second round I was just ...” Rodríguez said, exhaling in a sign of exhaustion. “But it was fun.”

“I think it was a lot of tiredness,” Rodríguez’s throwing partner, Franmy Peña, said through interpreter Freddy Llanos. “I tried to put the ball right in the same spot every single time, but I think the tiredness is what kind of got us.”

Seattle’s star center fielder was looking to become the first Derby winner in his home ballpark since Bryce Harper in Washington, D.C., in 2018, and the first Mariners winner in the event since Ken Griffey Jr., who was the champion in 1994, 1997 and 1998, making him the only three-time winner.

Rodríguez was seen in the home dugout consulting Griffey just before first pitch in a moment bridging the club’s past and present.

Still, Rodríguez’s epic effort in the opening round will be the type that the crowd on hand will tell their friends they were there to witness -- especially Mariners fans, who roared “Ju-Li-O” on repeat throughout his performance and who evaporated all the hype from the building when Alonso and Guerrero were at the plate.

Rodríguez was all hugs with Guerrero, even sharing insightful nuggets before they did battle.

“It definitely was really good, just to be able to talk with them, talk about baseball, and he told me before the Derby to catch the ball a little bit out front,” Rodríguez said. “And that's what I did in that first round.”

Rodríguez was the No. 7 seed by virtue of 13 homers in the first half. But now that he has the pressure behind him -- of making the All-Star team, in his own city -- maybe Monday will serve as a springboard into a strong second half.