Pete Alonso’s bid to equal Ken Griffey Jr.’s record of three Home Run Derby titles fizzled out early during the competition held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The New York Mets slugger, known for his prodigious home run power, only managed to clear the fences 12 times, which wasn’t enough to see him through the first round of the derby held on Monday night.
Alonso, who had claimed the derby crown in both 2019 and 2021 (with the 2020 event canceled due to the pandemic), fell significantly short of expectations as he sought to cement his legacy alongside Griffey. This early exit marks his third unsuccessful attempt to clinch a third title in consecutive seasons.
Among those who outperformed Alonso were Alec Bohm of the Philadelphia Phillies and an impressive player from the Cleveland Guardians, each launching 21 home runs to secure their spots in the semifinals. They were closely followed by Bobby Witt Jr. from the Kansas City Royals and Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who hit 20 and 19 homers respectively.
In this year’s revamped format, batters were allocated either three minutes or a maximum of 40 pitches in the initial round to hit as many home runs as possible. A bonus round followed where hitters faced three “outs,” with the opportunity to earn additional “outs” by smashing a homer beyond 425 feet.
Starting robustly, Alonso hit homers on four of his first seven pitches but then struggled, homering only once in the subsequent 15 pitches. He concluded the primary round with just nine homers and added a mere three in the bonus session.
Despite his previous successes and his status as a four-time All-Star, Alonso’s showing in Texas reaffirms the unpredictable nature of the Home Run Derby. His shortfall this year secures Griffey’s solo possession of the record a little longer. Alonso’s fans will now have to wait and see if he can regroup and challenge the record in future derbies.
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