Teoscar joins Home Run Derby to round out field of 8
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PHILADELPHIA -- Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández was named to his second All-Star team on Sunday. He had stated that if he made the team, he would have interest in participating in this year’s T-Mobile Home Run Derby.
Well, Hernández made it official on Wednesday that he’ll be one of the eight contestants in the Derby, marking the first time the Dodgers outfielder has participated in the event in his career. Hernández will have third-base coach Dino Ebel pitch to him for the event. Ebel has also done the Derby with Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero and Joc Pederson.
“Really excited,” Hernández said. “I see the fun that the guys have and how they enjoy it, and why not just go through the experience and try to win everything?”
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Hernández will face off against Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson, Cleveland’s José Ramírez, Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr., Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna, New York’s Pete Alonso, Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm and Texas’ Adolis García, who will perform in front of the home crowd in Arlington.
After a disappointing 2023 season at the plate with the Mariners, Hernández is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career in his first year with the Dodgers. The 31-year-old Dominican native bet on himself in a big way this offseason, taking a one-year deal with Los Angeles instead of multi-year offers from other teams.
Hernández wanted to prove last season was a fluke as he hit in a pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park in Seattle. So far with the Dodgers, Hernández has hit 19 homers and ranks second on the team with 60 RBIs. That was good enough to make him an All-Star for the second time in his career -- and Hernández may still start the game, depending on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s health over the next week.
This will be the second consecutive Derby with a Dodgers representative. Last season, superstar Mookie Betts took part in the event for the first time in his career, but the 2018 AL Most Valuable Player finished with just 11 homers in a first-round exit against Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
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Hernández, of course, hopes to be more competitive this year. The hard-hitting outfielder is usually one of the players that puts on the biggest power displays during the Dodgers’ batting practices before games.
“What I remember was what Vladdy did in Cleveland when he went head to head with Pederson,” Hernández said. “And a couple guys from the Dominican, so I decided to just join it and have fun with it, too.”
This year, the tournament will also look a little different than previous years. This year’s first round will consist of all eight hitters swinging for three minutes (or 40 pitches, whichever comes first) before a bonus round that will go until three outs, with every pitch being either a home run or an out. A 425-foot homer in the bonus period unlocks a fourth out. The four sluggers with the most dingers will advance to the next round.
In the semifinals, contestants will be seeded based on the number of homers hit in the first round. The No. 1 seed will face the No. 4 seed, and No. 2 will take on No. 3. The same rules from Round 1 apply to Round 2. The winners of each of these matchups will advance to the final.
The final will be a two-minute round with a maximum of 27 pitches thrown. The same bonus rules will apply. Hitters will also get one timeout in each round.