Former Houston Astros slugger narrowly wins home run contest

The Houston Astros had no one competing in the Home Run Derby on Monday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, but the eventual winner still had ties to the Astros.

Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Teoscar Hernandez won the 2024 home run derby, beating Kansas City Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr. in the final round. After hitting 14 home runs in the third round, Hernandez could only watch as Witt hit 13, falling just short. He likely held his breath as Witt’s final out hit the left-center field wall. Had he been a few feet taller, the derby might have turned out differently.

But it wasn’t to be, and Hernandez won. The 31-year-old All-Star became the first Dodger to win the event, hitting 49 home runs over three innings combined.

Hernandez only recently joined Los Angeles, signing a one-year, $23.5 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason. Before that, he spent the 2023 season with the Seattle Mariners and the 2017-22 season with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The veteran slugger, however, got his start in Houston, where he was signed as an amateur free agent in 2011. Hernandez made his debut in August 2016 and held his own, hitting .230/.304/.420 with four homers and 11 RBIs in his first 41 career games.

Unfortunately, the Astros didn’t give Hernandez much of a chance to prove himself. He played just one game for Houston in 2017 before being traded to the Blue Jays for Francisco Liriano and Nori Aoki, where he went on to establish himself as one of the best power hitters in baseball and made his first All-Star appearance in 2021.

Although Hernandez didn’t spend much time with Houston, he was still a part of the 2017 World Series champions, even if it was just for one game.

Hernandez hasn’t been a Dodgers player long, but he’s already making special memories with his new team. In the meantime, the Astros are probably still kicking themselves for sending him elsewhere.