Bobby Witt Jr. got off to a hot start in the semifinal round of Monday night’s Home Run Derby. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

In one of the most exciting Home Run Derby’s in recent memory, it really came down to the very last swing.

Bobby Witt Jr., an All-Star and one of the AL MVP frontrunners, was one shy of tying the Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez in an electric final round, that was introduced by none other than the iconic Michael Buffer.

Witt Jr. beat Jose Ramirez, 17-12 in the semifinals of the Derby to make it to the final round, after putting up an astonishing 20 home runs in the first round.

Witt is the fifth Royals player to participate in the Derby, joining Bo Jackson (1989), Danny Tartabull (1991), Mike Moustakas (2017), and Salvador Perez (2021).

Hernández went first in the championship, and he seemed a bit gassed out the gate. He hit only four home runs in his first 14 pitches, though he came out firing and hit five of his next six out of the park before finishing with 11 home runs before hitting three more in the bonus round.

With that number to beat, Witt also came out slow. He missed his first five hits, and then called his timeout with only four home runs and 15 pitches left on his count. Yet a strong finish pushed him to 11 in regulation, too, which matched Hernández’s mark perfectly.

Witt then missed his first two shots in the bonus round, which all-but sealed his loss. But one for always a flair for the dramatics, he hit two home runs to get to 13, but then just missed inches of the centerfield wall on his final out to hand Hernández the title.

Hernandez becomes the first Dodger in history to win the Home Run Derby.