Olympic bronze medal winner Julio Rodriguez made a sensation at the Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game Home Run Derby. The 21-year-old Dominican rookie smashed 81 home runs, hitting 33,573 feet worth of home runs, the second best in history after Vlad Guerrero Jr hit 91, going 38,641 feet in 2019.
Rodriguez made it to the final but lost against fellow Dominican Juan Soto, a superstar slugger for the Washington Nationals 19-18.
Rodriguez set a record for most home runs by a rookie in the opening round of a Derby, hitting 32 to eliminate Corey Seager (Texas Rangers, 24).
Rodriguez eliminated two-time defending champion Pete Alonso in the semifinal, 31-23.
After helping the Dominican Republic win the country's first Olympic medal in a team sport at the Tokyo 2020 Games, Rodriguez made his MLB debut for the Seattle Mariners on opening day, 8 April 2022.
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