Juan Soto’s name recently surfaced in business speculation when he reportedly turned down an offer of a 15-year, $440 million contract to stay with the Washington Nationals.
The outfielder was in the news during Monday’s media session.
And on Monday night, he took center stage by winning the home run derby.
Soto threw his bat in the air after his 19th homer in the final, defeating Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez in a one-on-one victory.
“It feels amazing,” Soto told ESPN in an on-field interview.
Soto, 23, and Rodriguez, 21, are examples of some of the sport’s young talent. One of the game’s all-time greats – 42-year-old Albert Pujols – also provided highlights.
Players from the National League All-Star team gather around Pujols before starting the bonus round in their opening round matchup of the St. Louis Cardinals with Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Players on the American League roster ran past the second dugout to show appreciation for Pujol, who is in his 22nd major league season.
Soon, every All-Star in the home run derby circled Pujol in an immediate salute.
“It was awesome,” Pujols said during an on-field interview shortly after his round.
Pujols was not over. Former Cubs Schwarber, who was the event’s top seed, also finished his round with 13 home runs, leading to a one-minute “swing-off”.
Chanters of “Albert Pujols” were echoed throughout the ballpark. The cheers grew with each homer.
Pujols ended the first-round matchup with one more homer than Schwarber before losing to Soto in the semi-finals.
Rodriguez reached the final with 32 homers and 31 in the semifinals in his opening round win against Texas Rangers’ Corey Seeger, leaving New York Mets’ Pete Alonso a three-peat not-so-seat opportunity.
Rodriguez finished first in the final and scored 18 home runs. Soto knew what he had to reach and after coming out from upstairs celebrated between the house and the mound.
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