Although Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made history on Monday by winning the Home Run Derby to follow in his father’s footsteps, viewership for this year’s event certainly won’t be getting into the record books any time soon.
Guerrero’s victory allowed him to be part of the only father-son duo to have each member win a title, but the Derby brought in its lowest audience since 2018, Sports Business Journal reported on Tuesday.
With his father, Vladimir Guerrero Sr., having won the 2007 Home Run Derby, Guerrero Jr. slugged 72 homers at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Monday to take the 2023 crown. He went deep 25 times in the final to beat Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, who mashed 23 long balls.
ESPN and ESPN2’s coverage of the event brought in 6.11 million viewers, an 11 percent drop from last year’s Derby, where Juan Soto beat Julio Rodriguez 19-18 for the title. It was also the least-watched Derby since Bryce Harper edged Kyle Schwarber — also by a final score of 19-18 — four years ago.
ESPN’s broadcast accounted for 5.52 million viewers, while ESPN2’s amassed just south of 600,000. ESPN did not have the opportunity to benefit from viewers in the Toronto market, as Nielsen figures focus solely on the United States.
Despite the smaller audience, the Derby ended up as the summer’s most-watched event on ESPN, and it will likely stay that way. It also still pulled in far more viewers than the 2023 NBA All-Star Game (4.6 million on TNT and TBS).
–Field Level Media