New York Mets star Pete Alonso showed the world why he is the best power hitter on the planet on Monday as he successfully defended his Home Run Derby title in front of a packed crowd at the Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. He blasted a whopping 74 home runs in the eight-man tournament that included Japanese star Shohei Ohtani, who was surprisingly eliminated in the first round.
It was a fantastic display by Alonso who became the third player in MLB history to win back-to-back Home Run Derby titles, joining Ken Griffey Jr. (1998-99) and Yoenis Cespedes (2013-14) in that esteemed list. Alonso's successful title defense was two years in the making after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the All-Star festivities last season.
When he won the event back in 2019, Alonso grabbed the headlines with his home run total of 57 as he joined New York Yankees star Aaron Judge as the only rookies to ever win the showpiece event.
Alonso sets the tone with a 35-homer performance in Round 1
The Mets slugger looked like he will break that mark in the first round alone against Salvador Perez, blasting 25 homers during his opening three-minute round, two of which cleared the 500-foot mark as he continuously peppered the left-field seats. He took full advantage of the ensuing bonus round, blasting ten more long balls for a whopping 35 homers in Round 1.
Perez tried his hardest to rally, but Alonso's advantage was just too big to overcome. Perez finished with 28 homers, but he simply wasn't in the league of Alonso, whose home runs averaged 447 feet and carried an exit velocity of 108.4 mph in the first round.
Alonso made short work of Washington Nationals' Juan Soto in the second round, beating the No. 8 seed by a score of 16-15. Soto was visibly exhausted after his epic first-round slugfest against Shohei Ohtani. Soto and Ohtani combined for 61 homers during their encounter, which needed two tiebreakers to decide. Ten of those traveled at least 500 feet.
Alonso launched 14 homers in the first 1:57 of his round before calling a timeout. It took Alonso just 15 more seconds to hit the two home runs required to beat Soto as he made a return trip to the finals.
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Alonso rallies past Mancini to win a second straight title
Standing in Alonso's way in the championship round was Trey Mancini. The Baltimore Orioles first baseman's run to the finals has been simply remarkable, especially that he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in March just last year. He battled his way back with the Orioles and earned a trip to the Derby with a 16-homer tally in the first half.
Mancini's road to the finals was anything but easy, eking past Matt Olson and Trevor Story in the first two rounds. He showed his power in the championship round, blasting 22 home runs to set up a high target for Alonso.
Alonso gladly accepted Mancini's challenge, blasting 12 homers before calling a timeout with 36 seconds left. He hit five more long balls to set a tally of 17 before his allotted one minute of bonus time. Alonso didn't need the entire 60 seconds to retain the trophy as he blasted six home runs in just 29 seconds to pull off the 23-22 win.
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