The 2019 Home Run Derby was quite a show on Monday night, with some of the game’s strongest and most powerful sluggers going head-to-head in an eight-man tournament in a battle for a prize of one million dollars.
In round one, the Mets’ own Pete Alonso went up against Cleveland’s hometown hero Carlos Santana. Santana went first, hitting 13 homers, and while Alonso started out slowly, he still comfortably surpassed Santana’s total with 14 of his own.
In the second round, which was to get into the final, Alonso was matched up against fellow NL East star Ronald Acuna Jr. This time, he had to beat Acuna’s total of 19.
Similar to his first round performance, Alonso had a slow stretch near the beginning but took off after his timeout, swatting 20 home runs to eliminate Acuna and advance to the final.
One of the biggest highlights of the evening was the never-ending second-round matchup between 20-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Dodgers slugger Joc Pederson.
After they both smashed a Derby record 29 dingers in regulation, they each got an extra minute to break the tie. The two electric sluggers didn’t stop mashing though, as they each hit eight bombs in the tiebreaker.
After that, they each got three swings to try and break the tie once and for all. After Guerrero homered on just one of the three pitches, Pederson did the exact same thing, so on they went.
They each got three more swings, and after Guerrero smacked two of his three out of the park, Pederson only hit one out. This gave Guerrero the slight edge in what was a thrilling and seemingly endless battle between two young, powerful stars.
The final was a battle between two electric rookies in Guerrero, and of course, Alonso.
Guerrero finally started to show some signs of fatigue in the final, hitting more line drives and taking a longer time to get into a rhythm. Despite clearly looking tired, and understandably so, he was still able to crush an impressive 22 home runs.
Alonso came back out determined to take the crown though, and started off much quicker than in his first two rounds. After a brief slow stretch in the middle, Alonso turned it back on, not even needing the 30-second bonus time as he hyped up the crowd while soaring 23 homers over the wall.
Alonso won the grand prize of one million dollars, ten percent of which he announced he will be donating to charity. One and a half million dollars will be split among the other contestants, rewarding them for their efforts as each of these eight guys put on a show in their own right.
Meanwhile Alonso made nearly twice his 2019 salary, as the rookie will only make $555,000 this year, and likewise with Guerrero.
Alonso joins Darryl Strawberry as the only Mets to ever win the Home Run Derby, matching what Strawberry accomplished in 1986, the year of the team’s most recent World Series championship.
This year’s Derby was one of the most memorable Derbies in recent history, with fans getting to watch two exciting rookies mash it out among some of the game’s brightest stars. It was a special treat for Mets fans as well to watch one of their own guys on the bright lights of the national stage, and just another great moment in what’s been a special rookie season for the 24-year-old first baseman.
Tomorrow, the All-Star game will take place at 7:30 ET. The Mets will be represented by Jeff McNeil, Jacob deGrom, and of course, the 2019 Home Run Derby champion, Pete Alonso.
