A baseball hit by big league first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked out what appeared to be a child attempting to catch the ball during the MLB's Home Run Derby. The ball was reportedly traveling over 115 miles per hour.
The competition, which includes several rounds of the sport's best heavy-hitters attempting to hit as many home runs as possible, was won by Guerrero Jr., but not before an unfortunate incident where a missed catch resulted in a headache for one volunteer.
The Home Run Derby traditionally has youngsters wait in the outfield to catch any balls that don't make it into the stands, the balls then make their way back to the infield to be reused for subsequent hitters.
Video showed one of Guerrero's first swings of the championship round come up short of the fences and smash into the face of one of the pink-shirted volunteers after they just missed the catch. The adolescent appeared to be immediately knocked out and dropped to the ground after the impact.
According to Outkick, the ball was clocked at an exit velocity of 115.8 MPH off the bat of Guerrero.
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The Toronto Blue Jays player went on to win the MLB Home Run Derby on July 10, 2023, the same competition his father won while with the Los Angeles Angels in 2007. Junior and senior became the first father and son to both win an MLB Home Run Derby.
The Dominican-born player beat out Tampa Bay Rays’ Randy Arozarena in the final, hitting 25 home runs to Arozarena's 23.
Guerrero Jr. has a career-high of 48 home runs hit in 2021 and is expected to make a salary of $14.5 million in 2023.
Video posted to Twitter showed the volunteer receive some medical treatment from staff, including a head wrap and an ice pack.
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Further information or details regarding the status of the victim's injuries have not been made public, and there are no other reports on the situation.
MLB officials did not respond to requests for comment from TMZ.
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