Vlad Jr. Eliminates Matt Chapman In First Round Of The Home Run Derby
Jul 8, 2019, 6:17 PM | Updated: 6:17 pm
(Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
(Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
Matt Chapman became the first Oakland Athletic to appear in the home run derby since both Yoenis Cespedes and Josh Donaldson represented Oakland in 2014. Unfortunately for the third baseman, his night more or less ended before he stepped up to the plate.
Chapman was a late replacement for the league-leader in home runs Christian Yelich. With Yelich leading the league in home runs (31), Chapman entered the night as the No. 1 seed. Waiting for Chapman at the No. 8 was the phenom Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The 20-year-old became the youngest participant in Home Run Derby history. It didn’t take long for Guerrero Jr. to make more derby history.
Guerrero Jr. opened the round with 29 home runs, which broke Josh Hamilton’s single-round record of 28 that was set in 2008.
Chapman was unable to catch up with Guerrero Jr.’s total, finishing with 13 in his half of the round. He started off hot, hitting his first ball a projected 477 feet but couldn’t match the fire power of his opponent.
The A’s third baseman will be playing in his first All-Star Game on Tuesday night.
