We are at the halfway point of the 2023 MLB season, which means fans get to see the top home run hitters in action. The 2023 MLB Home Run Derby will take place on Monday night at T-Mobile Park, which is the home of the Seattle Mariners. The event will start at 8 p.m. ET and air on ESPN and the ESPN App.
The eight players competing in the Home Run Derby are Randy Arozarena of the Tampa Bay Rays, Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Adolis García of the Texas Rangers, Vladmir Guerrero Jr. of Toronto Blue Jays, Luis Robert Jr. of the Chicago White Sox, Julio Rodriguez of the Mariners, Adley Rutschman of the Baltimore Orioles and Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. Alonso is the only one who has won the event before. In fact, the 28-year-old first baseman is looking to become the second player in MLB history to win the Home Run Derby three times with the first being Ken Griffey Jr. Alonso won it first in 2019 and again in 2021.
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And for this year’s Home Run Derby, Alonso will have his mentor and baseball coach Mike Friedlein pitch to him. “When I was a kid, I made a promise to him when he was throwing me batting practice,” Alonso said per MLB.com. “It’s one of those things when you’re a kid and you kind of daydream and wish something would happen. Now that it’s here, I want to keep good on my promise. I’m really excited. I know Mike is excited, too.”
With the Home Run Derby taking place in Seattle, it would not be surprising to see Griffey honored since he’s known for his time with the Mariners. When Griffey was playing for the Mariners during the 1990s, he became a megastar for his ability to hit home runs. Along with winning the derby three times, Griffey led the American League in home runs four times (1994, 1997-1999) and finished his career with 630 homers, the seventh most in MLB history. Griffey is one of seven players to win the Home Run Derby that is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The other six are Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg, Frank Thomas, Vladimir Guerrero and David Ortiz and Cal Ripken Jr.
