Excitement poured in Venezuela last night, with Eugenio Suarez winning the Festival del Jonron Pepsi, which is Venezuela’s Home Run Derby.
For 2024, eight Venezuelan hitters were selected. William Contreras, Eugenio Suarez, Renato Nunez, Andres Chaparro, Jose Altuve, Jackson Chourio, Luisangel Acuña, and Moises Gomez participated in the event.
Eugenio Suarez led all hitters after the first round, hitting 12 home runs. Andres Chaparro hit nine home runs, while Jackson Chourio advanced along with Moises Gomez, eliminating Jose Altuve and Luisangel Acuña, respectively.
The round-robin followed the first round, as the top five hitters with the most home runs in the first round would advance. Eugenio Suarez, Renato Nunez, Andres Chaparro, Jackson Chourio, and Moises Gomez would swing to compete for a shot at the final round.
With 21 home runs from Eugenio Suarez in the first two rounds, he was joined by Jackson Chourio, who slugged 19 home runs. The final round would be between Suarez and Chourio, as both players have just two minutes to hit as many home runs as possible.
The final round would not go Jackson Chourio’s way, as Eugenio Suarez won the Festival de Jonron Pepsi in 2024, hitting 12 home runs in the final round, while Chourio was only able to blast six home runs.
The Festival del Jonron Pepsi began in 2000 when Melvin Mora was crowned champion. Ronald Acuña Jr. won the event in 2022 and 2023, and William Contreras won in 2020 and 2021.
