MLB Home Run Derby outfielder OK after being hit with line drive

On Monday night, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won the MLB Home Run Derby. For many, this is the biggest event during baseball’s All-Star break, even bigger than the All-Star Game itself. However, this year the event was overshadowed by a scary incident.

Young fans hang out in the outfield to try and shag fly balls that don’t leave the park. It’s a fun way to get kids involved in the sport, giving them a chance to play on an MLB field and potentially field a ball from one of their heroes. However, these are still kids and it can be difficult to catch a line drive.

One young fan, unfortunately, learned how difficult it can be the hard way, getting hit by a line drive during the MLB Home Run Derby.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. murdering baseballs and a kid’s face in tonight’s championship round of the Home Run Derby #HomeRunDerby pic.twitter.com/ba54gPDGSw

— Adam Castro (@Amcastro16) July 11, 2023

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove a ball to left field that wasn’t going to make it out of the park. In a regular game, it had double written all over it. However, one of the kids was there to size it up and try to make a play on the ball. Unfortunately, he missed and it hit him in the head. Immediately, the kid collapsed and looked to be severely injured.

Luckily, despite how bad the injury initially looked, the kid is doing alright. Reportedly, he was treated on-site and was able to attend the All-Star game the very next day. So, he dodged what could have been a bad head injury.

Shortly after the incident, the child was seen with a bandage on his head and walking under his own power. So, things could have been much worse.

An ESPN graphic got Guerrero Jr’s birthplace wrong after Home Run Derby

Following his win in the Home Run Derby, ESPN put up a graphic that said he was the second Cuban-born player to win the Home Run Derby. That would have been cool if it was true, but it was very much incorrect.

He was born in Montreal. pic.twitter.com/aIGxfXmCbz

— Funhouse (@BackAftaThis) July 11, 2023

Vladimir Guerror Jr. was born in Canada, Montreal to be exact. He isn’t even Cuban in his heritage, though, as his father is a Dominican born player. So, it’s hard to see how this mistake happened in the first place.

There were several other big moments in the Home Run Derby too. Early, the hometown Julio Rodriguez put on a show, hitting 41 home runs in a single round. That was a record for the Home Run Derby. Going up against him was Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, who has won this event before. He found out what the fans thought of him in Seattle, as he was booed while trying to keep up with Rodriguez.