The 2019 Home Run Derby belonged to the kids. Literally. After several rounds of titanic home runs that left fans at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio yearning for more, two rookies, New York Mets star Pete Alonso and Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., were the last two standing.
Pete Alonzo, Vlad Jr. put on clinic
These two were on fire last night! Not only were Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Pete Alonzo hitting home run after home run, they were tape measure shots. Before Alonzo was crowned champ, here is how he got there.
In the first round, Pete was matched up against hometown hero Carlos Santana of the Cleveland Indians. Needless to say, the New York Met was booed – a lot. It got even worse from the crowed when the Mets rookie defeated Santana with one second left on the clock!
Pete Alonso really had his hands full in round two. Atlanta Braves Ronald Acuna Jr. belted 19 home runs and looked to be too strong for Alonso. Needing to catch his breath, Alonso called a timeout at the 1:49 mark.
After a quick time out, Big Pete started cranking. With under 10 seconds to go he had tied Acuna at 19 – before he smashed No. 20 with the clock expiring. The round-winning drive was a 453-foot blast that landed well beyond the centerfield fence.
Victory is near
The final round was a thing of beauty for baseball fans. Vlad Jr. And Pete Alonso put on a clinic. In the end, the Mets rookie phenom pulled it off.
Alonso has come a long way this season for New York, and his player rating on MLB The Show reflects his progress. He started the year with a 69 OVR and slowly built up to a 75 Silver OVR by mid-May.
Now, Pete Alonso is Gold! Alonso currently holds 81 OVR on The Show, and you can expect that to rise a bit as July moves on. Congrats to Pete the Polar Bear!