Sports
MLB Player’s Powerful Swing Knocks Out Child at Home Run Derby [Video]
Clear Facts:
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s powerful swing during the MLB’s Home Run Derby knocked out a young volunteer attempting to catch the ball.
- The baseball, traveling at over 115 miles per hour, struck the child in the face after a missed catch.
- Despite the incident, Guerrero Jr. went on to win the Home Run Derby, making him and his father the first father and son duo to win the competition.
In a startling incident during the Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Home Run Derby, a ball hit by big league first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reportedly traveling at over 115 miles per hour struck a child volunteer attempting to catch it.
The ball’s impact appeared to knock out the youngster instantly.
The Home Run Derby, an event that pits the sport’s best heavy-hitters against each other in a contest to hit as many home runs as possible, ended with Guerrero Jr. emerging as the champion.
But this victory was marred by the incident where a missed catch by one of the volunteers led to an immediate and painful consequence.
Young volunteers traditionally stationed in the outfield during the Home Run Derby are tasked with catching balls that do not reach the stands.
These balls are then returned to the infield for reuse in the competition.
A video from the championship round showed one of Guerrero’s swings falling short of the fences and striking a pink-shirted volunteer in the face.
The child dropped to the ground immediately after the impact.
The ball, according to Outkick, was clocked at an exit velocity of 115.8 MPH off Guerrero’s bat.
Guerrero Jr., a player for the Toronto Blue Jays and son of a former MLB star, went on to win the Home Run Derby on July 10, 2023, a feat his father accomplished with the Los Angeles Angels in 2007.
The Guerreros are the first father and son to both win an MLB Home Run Derby. Guerrero Jr. beat out Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena in the final round, hitting 25 home runs to Arozarena’s 23.
A video on Twitter showed the volunteer receiving medical attention from the staff, including a head wrap and an ice pack.
No further information has been made public regarding the victim’s injuries, and the MLB has not responded to requests for comments from TMZ.
