Fastball

ESPN's Wrong Graphic Claiming Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is From Cuba is Going Viral

Following Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s win in the Home Run Derby on Monday night, ESPN put up a mistaken graphic which caught the attention of several users on social media.
Brady Farkas|
ESPN's Wrong Graphic Claiming Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is From Cuba is Going Viral
ESPN's Wrong Graphic Claiming Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is From Cuba is Going Viral

In this story:

Toronto Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays won the Home Run Derby on Monday night, hitting a record 25 home runs in the final round to outlast Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays.

While his performance was certainly eye-catching, what else was eye catching was a graphic that ESPN put up following his win - claiming that he was from Cuba.

You can see that HERE:

For ESPN's part, someone likely noticed that this graphic was wrong, as it appeared for less than five seconds on air, but it's still wrong, and it still caught the attention of several users on social media. 

Guerrero Jr. was born in Montreal, Que., Canada while his father was playing for the Expos and is of Dominican descent.

There were three Cuban-born players in the Home Run Derby in Arozarena, Adolis Garcia (Rangers) and Luis Robert Jr. (White Sox).

Guerrero defeated Mookie Betts (Dodgers) and Julio Rodriguez (Mariners) in addition to Arozarena.

He's hitting .274 this year with 13 homers, 58 RBI and four stolen bases.

For his career, he's a .282 hitter with 117 homers and 368 RBI. He's got a .851 OPS.

The Blue Jays will need Guerrero Jr. to get hot if they want to make the playoffs again this season. They are currently 50-41 and in third place in the American League East. They own the final wild card spot right now by one game over the New York Yankees and two over the Boston Red Sox.

Toronto made the playoffs last season but was upset in the wild card round by the Seattle Mariners, who beat them in the best two-out-of-three series in Toronto.

The Jays will open up the second of the season on Friday, July 15 with a home series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are currently in a tie for first place in the National League West. They are 52-39 this season.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Published
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

Home/News