Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on Monday won the 2023 Home Run Derby at T-Mobile Park in Seattle ahead of Tuesday’s All-Star Game, but some working at ESPN may have been expecting someone else to win it.
Vlad Jr. beat Randy Arozarena 25-23 in the final round to win the crown. After the Toronto Blue Jays slugger won the event, ESPN put up a graphic that said Vlad was the “2nd Cuban-born HR Derby champion,” with Yoenis Cespedes being the other.
Well this is awkward since Vlad A) is Dominican, not Cuban, and B) was born in Canada pic.twitter.com/b7NMSBNuAr
— Ethan Fisher (@efisher330) July 11, 2023
The graphic was incorrect for many reasons.
Guerrero was born in Canada while his father Vlad Sr. was playing for the Montreal Expos. The younger Guerrero then moved to the Dominican Republic, which is where he grew up.
The graphic was likely intended for Arozarena, who was born in Cuba but fled the country for Mexico before later signing with the St. Louis Cardinals.
This was Vlad’s first time winning the Home Run Derby crown in two tries. He and his father, who won the derby in 2007, are the first father-son duo to win the derby.
