Vlad Jr's Teoscar Hernández Home Run Derby tribute cements status as beloved teammate

When Teoscar Hernández headed into the Home Run Derby on Monday night, he had the chance to become the first Dodgers player to win it in the competition's nearly 40-year history. The likes of Mike Piazza, Matt Kemp, Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, and Max Muncy all got shots at the crown, but couldn't bring a win to LA. Joc Pederson competed twice while he was a Dodger but fell short on both occasions, despite hitting 39 homers in the 2019 semifinals.

His competitor during that round was Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who hit an impossible 40 home runs to top Pederson and move onto the final, where he fell to Pete Alonso. However, Guerrero came back in 2023 to take the crown, hitting 25 homers to Randy Arozarena's 23 in the finals.

Guerrero was also present at the Derby this year in Arlington, though not as a participant. He was there to cheer on Hernández, his former teammate, and do some (seemingly very effective) coaching between his turns at the plate and during timeouts. Best of all, though he was still repping the Blue Jays, he was wearing Hernández's throwback jersey throughout.

Teoscar Hernández might owe his Home Run Derby win to former Blue Jays teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Hernández made it out of the first round with 19 home runs, which was enough to put him in the top four with Bobby Witt Jr., José Ramírez, and Alec Bohm, his direct competitor heading into the second round. Both Hernández and Bohm got off to slow starts during their respective turns, but Hernández had Guerrero waiting for him by the dugout during his timeouts and took instructions to hit the slow balls he was receiving from Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel toward the bullpen seriously. Hernández won it in a swing-off against Bohm and advanced to the finals against Witt.

The final was good TV; Hernández went first and managed to knock 14 more out, then Witt just barely missed a tying homer that would've forced another swing-off, making Hernández the first Dodger and the third consecutive Dominican player to win the Derby.

Renewed calls for the Dodgers to extend or re-sign Hernández started as soon as Guerrero bestowed his massive home run chain upon his former teammate. Hernández's contributions to LA have been clear: he's second in homers only to Shohei Ohtani and is the biggest thing holding the outfield together. He's already been noted for the good vibes he's been bringing to the Dodgers clubhouse, and Guerrero's enduring fondness for him only makes that clearer (as does the Blue Jays' free fall following his departure to Seattle last offseason). Andrew Friedman should probably start drafting that contract.