Mets star Pete Alonso met the final word buzzsaw at Monday’s MLB Home Run Derby, the place he was shortly eradicated after a historic efficiency by Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez.
Swinging in entrance of his hometown crowd at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park, Rodriguez slugged a whopping 41 residence runs within the first spherical to defeat Alonso, who hit 21. The 41 homers set a brand new report for a single spherical, however that tempo proved unsustainable, and Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the end received the derby.
Guerrero hit 25 homers within the last to beat Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, who hit 23. The youthful Guerrero follows his father, former Expos and Angels slugger Vladimir Guerrero, who received the occasion in 2007.
It’s the second consecutive 12 months Rodriguez eradicated Alonso, who received the Home Run Derby in 2019 and 2021. The annual contest didn’t happen through the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Alonso, 28, had hoped to affix Ken Griffey Jr. as the one gamers to win three Home Run Derby crowns.
This 12 months’s derby as soon as once more featured eight individuals, with head-to-head matchups figuring out which gamers superior.
Batters got 3 ½ minutes to hit as many residence runs as attainable through the first and second rounds. They might add 30 seconds of bonus time in the event that they hit two homers of at the least 440 toes throughout the first three minutes of each rounds. The last spherical gave batters 2 ½ minutes apiece earlier than the bonus.
Seeding was determined by what number of residence runs every participant had hit by July 4. Alonso, who has 26 homers this season, entered because the No. 2 seed. Rodriguez, who has 13, was the No. 7 seed.
But Rodriguez, 22, proved as a rookie final 12 months that he’s a troublesome draw. He superior to the 2022 last after hitting greater than 30 homers in every of the primary two rounds, earlier than he misplaced to Juan Soto.
On Monday, Rodriguez tossed his bat and unleashed a scream after his forty first homer of the primary spherical. He solely managed 20 homers within the second spherical, nevertheless, and fell to Guerrero, who stopped at 21.
Guerrero, 24, held the earlier single-round report of 40 residence runs, which he set in 2019. He hit 26 homers within the first spherical Monday, simply clearing Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, who solely hit 11.
Arozarena, in the meantime, superior to the ultimate after hitting 24 residence runs within the first spherical to remove Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia, and 35 residence runs within the second spherical to defeat top-seeded White Sox outfielder Luis Robert.
One of the evening’s highlights noticed Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, who grew up in close by Portland, blast 27 homers together with his father pitching. The switch-hitter, who took swings from each side of the plate Monday, fell to Robert within the first spherical.
Alonso led all MLB gamers with 22 residence runs earlier than he was hit within the left wrist by a Charlie Morton pitch on June 7. A stint on the injured checklist adopted, and Alonso has solely hit 4 residence runs since his June 18 return.
Alonso and beginning pitcher Kodai Senga would be the Mets’ solely representatives at Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game, which can also be set to happen at T-Mobile Park.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com