Pete Alonso's bid for a "Three-Pete" in the Home Run Derby falls short

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso saw his three-year reign as Home Run Derby champion come to a halt last night in the 2022 T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium as he lost in the second round to Seattle Mariners rookie Julio Rodriguez, who eventually lost to Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto in the finals.

Alonso was tabbed the No. 2 seed in the brackets because among the eight participants, he clubbed the second most home runs before the field was finalized last week. 

Round 1: Mets Pete Alonso vs. No. 7 seed Ronald Acuna, Jr.  

Alonso started off slow, but steady, believing he could beat Ronald Acuna Jr.’s 19 home runs he hit. He hit a 480 foot home run and a 479 foot home run within the first minute, earning his 30 second bonus time right away. He took his time, with 10 home runs before taking a timeout with 1:20 left. He then slowed down to the point where he only hit 17 home runs when his original time expired, leaving him with two to tie and three to advance to the next round. Alonso cracked two more 440+ foot home runs in the process, giving him another 30 seconds of bonus time. 

He then hit four bombs over the minute of extra time to take down the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna, Jr. 20-19. 

Round 2: Mets Pete Alonso vs. No. 6 seed Julio Rodriguez 

Rodriguez crushed 31 home runs in an elecrifying display, which game Alonso some work to do to advance to the finals. He struggled initially to match that number, only hitting six homers before his timeout with 1:46 left of regular time. He continued to struggle before finally finding a groove with about 30 seconds left, where he got to 18 before the extra time. He accumulated 60 seconds of extra time by hitting four more homers over 440 feet. 

Could he pull off a miracle with 13 to tie or 14 to win? No. The pressure Julio Rodriguez applied to him got to him, and he only hit five bombs in bonus time. Alonso lost in the second round 31-23, ending the “three-Pete" bid for a player who had never lost a Home Run Derby before.