It was almost like a passing of the torch, from one of baseball's most decorated Dominican stars, a 42-year-old future Hall of Famer in the twilight of his career, to a pair of the game's most prolific, young Dominican sluggers.
Juan Soto, a 23-year-old Washington star who has already won a World Series ring and recently turned down a 15-year, $440-million extension offer from the Nationals, beat Seattle Mariners rookie phenom Julio Rodríguez, 21, to win the All-Star Game home run derby in Dodger Stadium on Monday night.
After failing to produce a homer in the first 10 swings of the final round, the left-handed-hitting Soto regained his power stroke, sending one drive 471 feet into the right-field pavilion, to hit 19 homers in the two-minute round and one minute of bonus time.
