Mets' Pete Alonso defends his Home Run Derby title with dominant performance at Coors Field
Two years ago in Cleveland, Pete Alonso stole the show at the All-Star Break and made a name for himself as the Home Run Derby champion as a rookie. After a year without a contest during the pandemic, Alonsodefended his crown and continue to grow his legend on Monday in Denver.
Alonso hit 74 total home runs while winning his second consecutive Home Run Derby title, defeating Baltimore's Trey Mancini in the final. Alonso joins Yoenis Cespedes and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only players to ever win consecutive Home Run Derby events.
Alonso was seeded fifth of the eight sluggers in the contest and proceeded to pace the field in the first round. He hit 35 home runs in the first round, setting an event record for the first round. Alonso fended off Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals, 35-28, to advance to the second round.
Alonso was the highest seed remaining in the second round as all four lower seeds advanced from the first round. in the second round, Alonso drew Washington Nationals star Juan Soto.
Soto defeated top seed Shohei Ohtani in the first round via a swing off and hit 15 home runs to set the mark. Alonso passed Soto's mark with his 16th home run and 48 seconds still left from his initial two minutes of time.
That set the stage for Alonso and Mancini, who hit 22 home runs in the final. Alonso's 23 home runs in the final round tied his own record from the 2019 final. Alonso had 57 combined home runs in his three rounds in the 2019 Home Run Derby, including 23 to beat Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the final.
All eight competitors wore the No. 44 on their jerseys as a tribute to the late Hank Aaron, who died back in January.
Home Run Derby results
First round
No. 6 Trey Mancini (Baltimore) def. No. 3 Matt Olsen (Oakland), 24-23
No. 7 Trevor Story (Colorado) def. No. 2 Joey Gallo (Texas), 20-19
No. 5 Pete Alonso (N.Y. Mets) def. No. 4 Salvador Perez (Kansas City) 35-28
No. 8 Juan Soto (Washington) def. No. 1 Shohei Ohtani (L.A. Angels), 31-28 (swing-off)
Second round
No. 6 Trey Mancini def. No. 7 Trevor Story, 13-12
No. 5 Pete Alonso def. No. 8 Juan Soto, 16-15
Final
No. 5 Pete Alonso def. No. 6 Trey Mancini, 23-22
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Home Run Derby: Pete Alonso dominates, wins back-to-back titles
