Teoscar Hernández beats Bobby Witt Jr. to win MLB Home Run Derby title in Arlington

Bobby Witt Jr. has 11 home runs in regulation. He needs three to tie and four to beat Teoscar Hernández in his bonus round with the Derby crown on the line.

It’s clear Teoscar Hernández was laboring after two rounds plus a swing-off, but he still managed to send a healthy number of homers into the upper deck in left field in his final round.

Hernández has long been one of the more underrated power hitters in the game, and his showing Monday at Globe Life Field — even if Bobby Witt Jr. is able to surpass Hernández's total of 14 — was a nice reminder of that. He could still prevail as our champion.

Witt will step in shortly …

Teoscar Hernández adds three home runs in his bonus round to raise his final-round tally to 14. That's the number for Bobby Witt Jr. to beat with the Home Run Derby crown on the line.

Another good use of a timeout by Hernández. He hit seven home runs in 14 pitches after his break to tally 11 in regulation. On to the bonus round.

Hernández takes a timeout with 14 pitches and 57 seconds left. He has four home runs.

Teoscar Hernández is up first. Each batter gets 27 pitches in the final.

Legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer is on the call to set up the final between Bobby Witt Jr. and Teoscar Hernández. Nice touch.

A swing-off! We’ve seen a handful of these over the years, and they rarely disappoint. After Hernández and Bohm tied at 14 apiece in the semifinals, each player was given three swings — and three swings only — to add to his total.

Hernández went first and homered on two of his three swings, putting the pressure on Bohm to match … which he did not. Credit to Bohm for showing out far more than many expected in this event, but Hernández does strike me as a more traditional power hitter befitting a finals matchup with Bobby Witt Jr.

The final contestant of the semifinal, Alec Bohm, started slowly. But after a timeout, he got things rolling and ended up tying Teoscar Hernández's 14 homers, sending things to the always intriguing swing-off.

In the end, Bohm didn't have enough to take down Teo, who homered on two of his three swings before Bohm got just one swing-off dinger. Still, this was an impressive showing from Bohm, who has never been known for his power.

Bobby Witt Jr. vs. Teoscar Hernández for Home Run Derby crown

It's Teoscar Hernández vs. Bobby Witt Jr. in the finals. Hernández hit two home runs in a swing-off to Alec Bohm's one to advance with 16 home runs in the semifinal round.

We have a swing-off. Alec Bohm and Teoscar Hernández are tied at 14 after Bohm failed to hit a home run in the bonus round. Winner gets Bobby Witt Jr. for the crown.

Alec Bohm turned it up after his timeout. 11 home runs in his final 23 swings to tie Teoscar Hernández. He needs just one in his bonus round to advance to the finals.

A slow start for Alec Bohm in the last at-bat of the semifinals. He has three home runs at his timeout with 23 pitches and 1:41 remaining.

"That's not very many," he said during his break.

It's not.

Outside of Ozuna, it was Teoscar Hernández who launched the most majestic home runs of the first round, with multiple long balls traveling in excess of 440 feet and a max of 466.

The moon shots continued in Round 2 but without as much consistency, and Hernández is now on shaky ground, with 14 total homers as Alec Bohm gears up for what could be quite a surprising run to the finals if he can surpass Hernandez’s modest total.

Teoscar Hernández adds one home run in his bonus round to finish with 14. Is it enough to fend off Alec Bohm? The winner advances to take on Bobby Witt Jr. for the Home Run Derby crown.

More here on the much-discussed national anthem.

Teoscar Hernández found his rhythm after his timeout. Finishes with 13 home runs in regulation before his bonus round.

Teoscar Hernández is up first in the second semifinal matchup and struggling to star. Three home runs in 18 swings before his timeout.

A truly valiant effort from Ramirez, whose raw power might not remotely measure up to that of the rest of the field but whose ability to consistently deposit pulled fly balls just over the right-field fence was on display all the way until he bowed out against Bobby Witt Jr. in the semifinals.

Most importantly, I’m glad Ramirez — a switch-hitter who was batting lefty — advanced to the semis so that the fans sitting in right field had another chance to snag some Derby dingers, considering that the bulk of the field is swinging righty.

More importantly: Bobby Witt Jr. advances to the finals, which keeps the possibility of a storybook ending to tonight’s event in play.

Bobby Witt Jr. advances to finals

Bobby Witt Jr. has advanced to the finals. José Ramírez comes up empty in his bonus round and finishes with 12 home runs, falling short of Witt's 17 in a head-to-head semifinal matchup.

Witt will take on the winner between Alec Bohm and Teoscar Hernández for the Home Run Derby crown.

José Ramírez finishes with 12 in regulation and is laboring through his swings. Needs five to tie and six to beat Bobby Witt in his bonus round.

You can tell Bobby Witt Jr. really wants to win this thing in front of his family and friends in Texas. He put up another solid round of 17 homers in the semifinals but was clearly gassed.

Will he be able to sneak past J-Ram?

José Ramírez has some work to do. Four home runs with 25 pitches and a potential bonus round left at his timeout. He needs to beat Witt's 17 to advance.

Witt whiffed in his bonus round. Stands pat at 17 home runs. That's the number for José Ramírez to beat to secure a spot in the finals.

After six misses to start, Bobby Witt Jr. picked things up to open the semifinals. He sets the pace with 17 home runs in regulation with a bonus round on the way.

The Derby now reverts to a head-to-head format for the semifinals. Each batter gets 40 swings in regulation, like the first round.

José Ramírez vs. Bobby Witt Jr.

Alec Bohm vs. Teoscar Hernández

Witt is up first.

One more time ICYMI. Phillies slugger Alec Bohm reveled in the elimination of Mets slugger and two-time Derby champ Pete Alonso. As did the Phillies' social media team:

My pick to win the Derby, Gunnar Henderson, was a slow starter in his first round. But after an early timeout, the man with the most regular-season homers in the field finished with 11 homers in this contest and missed the semifinals.

I guess the Scooby Doo bat didn’t give him extra power after all.

Semifinals are set

Gunnar Henderson is eliminated, and the semifinals are set. Henderson posts a first-round low tally of 11 home runs. Alec Bohm, José Ramírez, Bobby Witt Jr. and Teoscar Hernández all advance. The Derby reverts to a head-to-head format for the semifinals. Each batter gets 40 swings in regulation, like the first round.

José Ramírez vs. Bobby Witt Jr.

Alec Bohm vs. Teoscar Hernández

First-round totals:

Alec Bohm: 21
José Ramírez: 21
Bobby Witt Jr.: 20
Teoscar Hernández: 19
Adolis García: 18
Marcell Ozuna: 16
Pete Alonso: 12
Gunnar Henderson: 11

Meanwhile, here's Marcell Ozuna's 473-foot blast:

Gunnar Henderson has serious work to do in his bonus round. Finishes with 11 home runs in regulation. Needs 20 to guarantee his spot in the semifinals.

With 262 career home runs to his name, it was a moderate surprise that Marcell Ozuna had never competed in a Home Run Derby until this year. But that inexperience seemed to show in his inaugural Derby round, as he couldn’t quite find the rhythm necessary to rack up enough homers to advance to the semifinals, finishing with 16.

Ozuna did hit the two farthest home runs of the night, at 473 and 471 feet, but a handful of tape-measure shots are worth only so much in this Derby setting. We’re now heading toward a semifinals that just might feature three of the four hitters who entered the night with the fewest regular-season home runs. Weird!

It took him nine swings for his first home run, but Henderson found a groove. Four home runs through 16 pitches before his timeout with 1:39 remaining.

Orioles slugger Gunnar Henderson is the last batter of the first round. Twenty home runs will secure a spot in the semifinals.

Marcell Ozuna has the longest home run of the night but doesn't advance to the semifinals. His 16-home run tally leaves him in the bottom half of the field and secures a spot in the second round for Bobby Witt Jr.

Alec Bohm: 21
José Ramírez: 21
Bobby Witt Jr.: 20
Teoscar Hernández: 19
Adolis García: 18
Marcell Ozuna: 16
Pete Alonso: 12

Ozuna crushed multiple 400-foot-plus home runs after his timeout to increase his tally to 14. A 473-footer was the longest of the night. Has work to do in his bonus round.

Marcell Ozuna is at the plate, the seventh of eight first-round batters. Takes his timeout with four home runs and 22 pitches remaining. Lot of work to do.

Alec Bohm with the savage needle after his NL East rival Pete Alonso was eliminated:

There are few players who walk to the plate with more confidence that J-Ram. And in a competition in which he’s the smallest hitter, of course he ties Alec Bohm for the best round, with 21 dingers.

None of Ramírez's homers went more than 419 feet. He’s the best.

José Ramírez was dialed in in his bonus round. Added six home runs including a 402-footer to reach 21 and secure his spot in the second round. Standings after six batters with Bohm and Ramírez guaranteed to advance.

Alec Bohm: 21
José Ramírez: 21
Bobby Witt Jr.: 20
Teoscar Hernández: 19
Adolis García: 18
Pete Alonso: 12

Welp. That was not what anyone was expecting. Pete Alonso — the first player ever to compete in five consecutive Derbies — could not get in a groove in his first round and finished with a lackluster 12 total homers, ensuring that he will not advance to the semifinals no matter how the final three batters fare.

There was some excitement about the return of Dave Jauss as Alonso’s pitcher for the Derby, as the former Mets bench coach was Alonso’s Derby thrower when he last won the event in 2021 and again in 2022. Alas, Jauss seemed to struggle with his location and was throwing noticeably softer than the other Derby pitchers, leaving it all on Alonso to supply the power. It was not to be.

Will we see Alonso back in 2025 for a sixth straight Derby? After three consecutive losses, I’m not so sure. But I wouldn’t put it past him, either.

Ramírez slowed down after his timeout and has some work to do in his bonus round to secure a spot in the second round. 15 home runs before his bonus round.

Ramírez is off to a strong start. 10 home runs in 21 swings before his timeout. 1:25 remaining.

Guardians slugger José Ramírez is now at the plate.

"Swing at everything, and pull it" — Alec Bohm with Derby tips to ESPN after securing his spot in the second round.

A disappointing showing eliminates two-time champion Pete Alonso in the first round. He adds two home runs in his bonus round but guarantees himself a bottom-four showing with 12 total home runs. Alec Bohm, meanwhile, has punched his ticket to the second round.

Alec Bohm: 21
Bobby Witt Jr.: 20
Teoscar Hernández: 19
Adolis García: 18
Pete Alonso: 12

Pete Alonso's in trouble. He has nine home runs before his bonus round and is on the verge of elimination.

Alsonso has five home runs in his first 16 pitches before taking a timeout.

Two-time Derby champ Pete Alonso is up next. Will he advance in his quest for a third title?