Teoscar Hernandez was the last player announced for the 2024 Home Run Derby. In the end, he was the last man standing as he defeated Bobby Witt Jr. to take the crown.
The final was as dramatic as it gets as Witt needed to hit a homer on his final out to force a swing off. He drilled it to straight-away center, but it didn't quite have enough as it hit of the base of the 410-foot wall, handing the Dodgers' outfielder the win.
Hernandez (+1300) had the second-longest odds heading to the Derby at DraftKings. Meanwhile, he had 8.1% of tickets and just 5.9% of the handle according to BetMGM.
Dodgers fans are obviously thrilled as he became the first player in franchise history to win it, but no one was happier than the books after a pair of Goliaths crashed and burned early.
Two-time Derby champ Pete Alonso closed at +310 at DraftKings and was the odds-on favorite to win his third crown. Instead, the “Polar Bear” flamed out immediately as his 12 homers were the second-fewest in the first-round.
So, who had the fewest?
Well, that would be Gunnar Henderson (+390), who had the second-best odds behind Alonso. He entered the Derby with more home runs (28) than any participant but ended up mashing the least with 11.
The early exits were a goldmine for the books. Alonso had more money backing him than any other player according to BetMGM, commanding 26% of the handle. He also had the second-highest ticket percentage (18.7%). Meanwhile, Henderson had the highest ticket percentage (19.5) and second-highest handle percentage (20.6%).
Marcell Ozuna was also a popular pick and had the fourth-best odds at +475. However, while he hit the longest moonshots, they were few and far between as his 16 total homers weren’t enough to move on.
As a result, Bobby Witt. Jr (+400) was the only player in the top four to advance as his 20 homers edged out Adolis Garcia's (+650) 18. However, overall it was longshots that loved the long-ball in the opening round as the three players the longest odds advanced to the semifinals.
Alec Bohm (+2000) was the biggest ‘dog as he had only 11 homers on the season yet hit the most opening round dingers with 21. Jose Ramirez (+1300) had an identical 21 bombs, but Bohm’s longest homer went further than the Guardians' star, handing him the top seed.
Meanwhile, the eventual champion Hernandez looked like he’d be one of the first to exist after hitting only 12 in his allotted three minutes. However, he mashed seven bombs in the bonus round to qualify for the semis.
The first head-to-head match of the semifinals saw Witt face off against Ramirez. This time it was the favorite who won as Witt easily downed Ramirez, 17-12. Meanwhile, there was high-stakes drama in the other semifinals when Hernandez beat Bohm in a swing off, 16-15.
In the end, Hernandez won the title by outslugging Witt, 14-13. He started off slow before cranking out bomb after bomb over the final minute, followed by an impressive showing in the bonus round.
In the end, it took the final swing in front of a packed Globe Life Field to determine this year's champion. Witt literally gave Hernandez a run for his money as the winner gets $1 million, but he came up just short as the Dodgers' All-Star took home the crown.
