Juan Soto and Shohei Ohtani put on a show in their first-round battle in Home Run Derby in Denver. The two sluggers each hit 22 home runs in their first go-around, forcing overtime between the two.
But that was not before Soto crushed a homer 520-feet into the upper deck of Coors Field.
It’s the longest home run registered during the Statcast era going back to 2015.
Soto tapered off after a hot start. Meanwhile, Ohtani was the exact opposite. The Los Angeles Angels star struggled to leave the yard through his first minute and a half. But he caught fire just in time to tie Soto.
The two went at it in overtime. Soto hit six. Ohtani seemed destined to top it, but he got stuck on six, resulting in the two being tied at 28.
The duel had to be settled in a swing off. That’s when the Nationals’ 22-year old star Soto went a perfect 3-for-3.
Soto was able to put the pressure on a gassed Ohtani, who came up short on his first swing, giving the win to Juan Soto. However, it seemed like all of baseball won watching an epic battle between two of MLB’s brightest stars.
Ohtani entered the Derby as the top seed, hitting 33 home runs before the All-Star break. Ohtani has become the main attraction of the week, as he made history being selected to the All-Star Game as a pitcher and designated hitter.
He’ll start on the mound for the American League with Nationals ace Max Scherzer starting opposite of him for the National League. Ohtani will also bat lead-off for the AL. Many expected Ohtani to challenge for the Derby title, but Juan Soto had other ideas, pulling off the first-round upset.
