Vladimir Guerrero Jr. outlasts Randy Arozarena, wins HR Derby - ESPN

SEATTLE — Four years after he set a single-round Home Run Derby record only to not win the title, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. bestowed the same fate on someone else — and added to his family's rich legacy in the process.

The son of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero, participating in the Derby at his family's urging, ousted hometown favorite Julio Rodriguez after a record-setting performance and outlasted Randy Arozarena in the finals to win the Derby on Monday night — 16 years after his father did the same.

«When my family pushes me to do something,» the younger Guerrero said, «usually good things happen.»

In 2019, the 20-year-old Guerrero, a star first baseman with the Toronto Blue Jays, put on a show in his Derby debut, hitting a record 40 home runs in the second round and 91 overall. But he fell in the finals to Pete Alonso of the New York Mets.

After watching his single-round record eclipsed Monday by Rodriguez — who sent the T-Mobile Park crowd of 46,952 into a frenzy with 41 homers in the first-round to bounce Alonso — Guerrero, now 24, calmly dispatched a worn-down Rodriguez, who mustered only 20 home runs in Round 2.

«I wanted to live in the moment,» Rodriguez said. «Kind of be able to give a show to the Mariners fans and just give it my all. For that second round, I was just» — he exhaled deeply — «but it was fun. It was fun.»

Fun abounded in the 37th edition of the Derby, from Rodriguez's laser show to Guerrero's pointed counterpunching to Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman becoming the first batter to swing from both sides of the plate — and punctuating his 27-homer round with six swings from the right side landing over the fence after hitting 21 from the left. He soon bowed out to top-seeded Luis Robert Jr.,