Julio Rodriguez and trusted Home Run Derby pitcher Franmy Peña are longtime friends

Behind every successful Home Run Derby hitter — or rather, in front of him — is a trusted pitcher. 

With players now being limited by time (three minutes) instead of “outs,” players are forced to use timeouts strategically without succumbing to the pressure. That requires a reliable pitcher to throw balls in the sweet spot over and over.

“Pressure is always there,” Julio Rodriguez’s pitcher Franmy Peña said through a translator about pitching in a Derby. “But we’ve been working together for a long time. I’ve known him since he was a kid, so that helps.”

Peña was the man who served up pitches to Rodriguez last year, as he burst onto the national stage, hitting 81 total homers for a second-place finish, and Rodriguez stuck with Peña this year.

“I’m very proud [of Rodriguez],” Peña said. “… Him choosing me to be with him on one of his biggest stages. I’m really proud.” 

Peña has been involved in Rodriguez’s baseball career since the Mariners’ All-Star was a teenager. Peña has been a huge asset not only in the Derby but in Rodriguez’s career, even starting his own baseball academy back in their home Dominican Republic, where the two would work out with each other constantly. 

“[Peña is] really important [for me],” Rodriguez said with a smile. “The Derby is all teamwork. … I decided to bring him back — because [you] never ever change what works.”

In his second go-round, Rodriguez defeated Pete Alonso in the first round, setting a single-round record in a Home Run Derby with 41 to Alonso’s 21. He also topped Alonso for the second time in two years, defeating him in the second round in last year’s derby.

Rodriguez then fell to champion Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the second round, 21-20. Peña believed Rodriguez had a great first round, but his swing started to fade going into the second, “[He had a] great first round. It was just outstanding.”

A bond that’s spanned over many years, Rodriguez said the duo’s relationship was not only professional, but personal — leading to such a close connection.

“We worked last year,” he said. “It was fun last year, and at the same time he’s my boy.”

“His style is unique,” Rodriguez said of Peña’s differential technique compared to other Derby pitchers. “He’s really consistent, and I really like the way he throws.”

Peña knows how significant it is to locate pitches during rounds, and that can be stressful at times for many Derby pitchers.

“That’s the most important thing,” Peña said. “The results [in the Derby] show how important that is.”