Watch: Teoscar Hernandez receives 2024 Home Run Derby Chain from former teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. amidst victory celebrations 

Los Angeles Dodgers Teoscar Hernandez made history on Monday night by winning the 2024 Home Run Derby. He becomes the first Dodgers player to achieve this feat, while 11 others from the team have tried and failed to win before him.

Hernandez hit 49 homers over three rounds, totaling 3.98 miles. In the final round, while facing Kansas City Royals' Bobby Witt Jr., he hit 14 homers, leaving Witt behind with just one shot to claim the Derby crown.

After Hernandez pointed the trophy toward the stadium crowd, his former teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. put the 2024 Home Run Derby Chain around his neck and hugged him.

Guerrero Jr. watched the competition wearing a Toronto Blue Jays jersey with Hernandez’s name and No. 37 on the back. Both he and Hernandez were teammates in Toronto from 2017 to 2022.

Hernandez was quite surprised to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in his jersey, saying (via AP News):

“That was a surprise of the night. He brings my jersey from Toronto, and when he goes to home plate. He was trying to calm [me] down, and so he had passed two times, and it works. He said he wanted to help me going into the last round.”

Hernandez then went on to celebrate his big win, hugging other players and shouting joyfully.

Teoscar Hernandez expresses confidence, noting that some might underestimate him

Teoscar Hernandez cleared the first round of the 2024 Home Run Derby by hitting 19 homers. Others who advanced alongside him were Alec Bohm and Jose Ramirez with 21 home runs each, and Bobby Witt Jr. with 20.

When asked if he felt like an underdog, Hernandez said:

“If I have to bet, it doesn’t matter who I’m going against, I’m going to bet on myself. People maybe underestimate myself.”

In the semifinals, the Dominican narrowly defeated Bohm 16-15 after a tiebreaker. Both players had three swings in the tiebreaker round, where Hernandez hit two home runs while Bohm managed to hit just one.

Meanwhile, Bobby Witt Jr. defeated Ramírez with a score of 17-12 and advanced to face Hernandez in the finals. Hernandez subsequently won 14-13 to win the 2024 Home Run Derby.

Notably, he became the third consecutive Dominican to win the event, after New York Yankees' Juan Soto in 2019 and Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2022.