Hispanic Pride: Dominican Teóscar Hernández wins the Major League Home Run Derby

Dominicans have shined once again in the Major Leagues with the All-Star Game Home Run Derby. Teóscar Hernández, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, became the third Dominican to win back-to-back titles in the competition.

The Dodgers outfielder beat American Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals in the final by a close score of 14-13 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

With the win, the 31-year-old Dominican took home a one million dollar prize. The home run contest serves as an opener for the All-Star Game, which is to be held Tuesday at the same venue.

The Dominican player is the first Dodgers baseball player to win this event since its inauguration in 1985. Hernández was confident of his talent from the start.

"If I have to bet, no matter who I'm going against, I'm going to bet on myself. People maybe underestimate me," Hernández said in remarks picked up by the official Major League Baseball website. 

Seven other Dominican hitters have previously won this competition, two of them in the last editions of 2023 (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) and 2022 (Juan Soto), as recalled by AFP.