With a little help from his buddies, White Sox centre fielder Luis Robert Jr. made it to the T-Mobile Home Run Derby.
Robert wasn’t initially interested in competing in the event, which will take place on Monday at T-Mobile Park at 7 p.m. CT and be broadcast on ESPN. The 25-year-old has said on a few times that he didn’t think his strategy of being a hitter first and a slugger second would work out. However, Robert was persuaded to participate in the fun by fellow Derby contestants and fellow Cubans, Randy Arozarena and Adolis García.
We all replied, ‘Let’s do it,'” Robert remarked through interpreter Billy Russo on Wednesday following the announcement of his Derby entry on his Instagram page.
Thus, Robert’s first opportunity to really try his hardest will come during his first All-Star game.
The participants who have been announced are as follows.
With a career-high 25 home runs, Robert is tied for third place in MLB and sits second in the American League, behind only Shohei Ohtani in the AL.
In June, the White Sox slugger smashed 11 long balls. Subsequently, he began preparing for the upcoming game on Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field by launching a three-run home run off Chris Bassitt in the sixth inning of the Blue Jays’ 4-3 defeat.
With a guaranteed hookup of 111.7 mph per Statcast, the 450-foot drive caused Robert to look down and halt momentarily upon making the connection. When questioned about that particular moment on Wednesday, he chuckled and said it wasn’t a planned response.
