Re-Pete! Mets’ star defends his Home Run Derby crown with impressive performance

New York Mets’ slugger Pete Alonso put on a show on Monday night and won his second consecutive Home Run Derby after his triumph in 2019 (there wasn’t one in 2020 because of the pandemic).

The Mets first baseman defeated Baltimore Orioles’ slugger Trey Mancini and successfully defended his 2019 title. Only Ken Griffey Jr. (1998-99) and Yoenis Céspedes (2013-14) have been able to win the Derby in back to back years.

“I think I’m the best power hitter on the planet,” Alonso said to MLB.com. “Being able to showcase that and really put on a fun display for fans, it’s truly a dream come true for me. When I was younger, my parents actually let me stay up past my bedtime to watch this.”

The Mets’ slugger never doubted his victory

The Mets’ infielder has 17 homers in the season, which earned him the fifth seed among the eight contestants. But he bopped a whopping 35 home runs in the first round, the highest number in a round in the night, easily topping Salvador Perez’s 28.

“There was no point where I thought I was going to lose. Ever,” Alonso said. “When the seedings came out, teammates came up to me and said, ‘That’s disrespectful. You’re defending your title; what guy that’s defending their title is a fifth seed? Nobody. Aren’t you pissed about that?’ I said, ‘No. I’m going to win anyway. It doesn’t matter.’”

And he won. His title was never in doubt, and he hit home run after home run. For stretches, he didn’t miss a pitch. It was truly impressive.

Mets fans and baseball observers watched in awe how Alonso belted a 512-feet and a 514-feet dinger.

“As soon as I saw 35 up there, I’m like, ‘That’s untouchable,’” Alonso said. “That was the goal from every round. I knew if I faced Ohtani, I would have to do the same thing. My approach was I have to be the standard; I have to be the bar. I wanted to make the standard incredibly untouchable.”

Alonso defeated Juan Soto, who eliminated Shohei Ohtani in spectacular fashion, in the second round, before dispatching Mancini in the finals.