Pete Alonso defends second consecutive Home Run Derby Crown
At Coors Field in Denver on Monday, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso made history joining Ken Griffey Jr., Prince Fielder, and Yoenis Cespedes as the only players to win the event numerous times. After hitting 23 home runs to defeat Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini, Pete Alonso defends his crown as MLB Home Derby champion for yet another year.
On his path to the title, the Mets’ slugger dominated, putting together a greater performance than he did in 2019, when he hit 57 home runs in three rounds. He smashed 74 home runs on his way to his second championship on Monday.
The first round of Alonso’s night was merely a glimpse of what was to come. He started off strong, hitting 35 home runs in the first round. His competition, Salvador Pérez, the Kansas City Royals’ catcher, hit 28 home runs, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Alonso then went on to face Nationals outfielder Juan Soto, who hit 31 home runs in a tiebreaker game against Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani. Alonso pushed past Soto’s 15 home runs with a 16 homer performance that left Alonso with plenty of time to spare.
With 22 home runs to start the game, Mancini forced Alonso to beat a high total. With 30 seconds left on the clock in the round, Alonso remained composed and smashed his 23rd home run to seal his second Home Run Derby Crown.
“I’ve done this before and I’m extremely confident in my ability to hit the ball out of the yard,” Alonso said afterward. “I feel like I’m the best power hitter in the game, and it was on display tonight.”
Shohei Ohtani’s first round matchup VS Juan Soto was electric!
While the final between Alonso and Mancini was thrilling, Soto and Ohtani’s first-round clash was possibly the most memorable. In the first round, the two exchanged punches. Soto, the eighth seed, smashed 22 home runs, setting a high bar for Ohtani, the top seed, who answered with 22 of his own to force a tiebreaker.
However, the first tiebreaker failed to determine the winner, as both players hit six home runs in the extra minute permitted. Each participant was given three swings to add to their totals in the second tiebreaker. Soto went 3-for-3, and Ohtani ended his night with a grounder into the grass on his first swing.
