Washington’s Juan Soto defeated Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez 19-18 in the final to capture the Home Run Derby title at Dodger Stadium.
Soto, who was competing in the Derby for the second time, had nine homers in the final minute of regulation in the two-minute final. He added four more in bonus time, his clinching blast coming with 19 seconds remaining. He threw his bat way in the air after the deciding shot cleared the fence.
THREE ROUNDS
THREE WALK-OFFS
JUAN. SOTO.@JuanSoto25_ // #NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/4YUJvDAfmB
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 19, 2022
Soto, the fourth seed, is the second Nationals player to win the Derby. Bryce Harper won it in 2018 in Washington.
Soto earns a $1 million prize and another highlight on his resume as his time with Washington possibly nears an end. The Athletic reported over the weekend that Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year contract to stay with the Nationals, and he could be traded by the end of the month.
“Right now, I’m not even thinking about that … I’m a champion for the Nationals,” Soto told ESPN.
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WTOP’s Rob Woodfork contributed to this report.
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