For the fifth time in the last six years a Los Angeles Dodgers player participated in the annual Home Run Derby. For Corey Seager, it was the start of a busy two-day stretch as he was also named to the All-Star Game.
Although he did not win the event, as Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins ultimately stole the show and brought home the trophy, Seager opened the tournament with a strong performance as the No. 8 seed.
Unfortunately for Seager he was up against the No. 1 seed in the event, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Mark Trumbo, and Trumbo got on a role after using a timeout.
The Orioles slugger hit eight consecutive homers after his mini-break to edge Seager, 16-15, and advance to the second round. The usage of a timeout was a notable difference in the first round between Seager and Trumbo.
According to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com, the 22-year-old shortstop expressed some regret over not using his allotted timeout:
“I didn’t even think about taking a timeout,” Seager said moments after he was finished, shaking his head. “I was just so worried about swinging that it didn’t even cross my mind. I wish I would have.”
Despite that, and his early exit, Seager said he otherwise enjoyed participating in the Derby:
“It was very fun. It was one of those things that not a lot of people get to experience, and to be able to do it, with my dad, was real fun. It was really enjoyable.”
Other recent Dodgers to participate in the Home Run Derby are Matt Kemp (twice), Yasiel Puig and Joc Pederson. Pederson came the closest to winning when he was the runner-up in 2015, losing by one home run to then-hometown hero Todd Frazier.
Seager entered the All-Star break batting .297/.357/.521 with 17 home runs and 42 RBIs. He leads the Dodgers in batting average, home runs and total hits (105) among other categories.
