Big Finish Pushes Tampa Bay Rays Slugger Randy Arozarena Into Home Run Derby Finals

Tampa Bay left fielder Randy Arozarena advanced to the finals of the 2023 Home Run Derby at T-Mobile Park on Monday, crushing 35 homers and knocking out Chicago White Sox centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. in the process. Arozarena is now the first Ray ever to make it to the final round of the derby.

"I always said I wanted to do the derby and hit a lot of home runs," Arozarena said through a translator after Robert's turn ended. "And I'm here hitting a lot of home runs."

Arozarena made it to the semifinals by beating Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia 24-17 in the opening matchup, while Robert earned his spot by sneaking by Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman 28-27.

Like he did in round one, Arozarena went first. With Rays field coordinator Tomas Francisco pitching to him, Arozarena had 14 home runs before he called a timeout with 1:30 left on the clock.

Francisco told ESPN reporter Buster Olney that he started throwing slightly higher and more inside after the breather, which helped the Rays' slugger power his way to the finish line.

Arozarena picked up an extra 30 bonus seconds by hitting his second 440-plus-foot homer well before the one-minute mark. By the end of his three-minute regulation period, Arozarena had already hit 30 home runs.

Meanwhile, Robert only had 13 homers with 50 seconds left in his turn. Even after getting an extra minute to add to his total, the young White Sox star still only finished with 22.

Arozarena will face either Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodriguez or Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the finals.

Entering the skills challenge, SI Sportsbook gave Arozarena +800 odds to come out on top. The 2020 ALCS MVP and 2021 AL Rookie of the Year is hitting .279 with 16 home runs, 58 RBI, a .855 OPS and a 2.7 WAR, putting him on pace for career-highs in each category.

Arozarena will also start in left field for the American League in the 2023 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night. The lineups for both sides were announced Monday afternoon, with Arozarena getting slotted into the No. 3 hole for the AL.

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