Another Home Run Derby crown was not in the cards for Pete Alonso.
Seeking his third win in the event, the Mets slugger failed to advance past the first round on Monday night at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
Alonso’s 12 home runs in the opening round were the second fewest among the eight participants.
With former Mets bench coach Dave Jauss throwing to him, Alonso homered on the first pitch but struggled to get into a rhythm. At one point, Alonso managed only one home run in a 15-pitch span.
Participating in his fifth derby, Alonso won the event in 2019 and 2021 but has now come up short in three consecutive years. Ken Griffey Jr. remains the only player to win the Home Run Derby three times since its advent in 1985.
This year’s derby featured a new format, with the four highest homer totals in the first round advancing to the semifinal, rather than participants competing in head-to-head matchups in a bracket-style format as they had in recent years.
On Monday, every player received three minutes to hit in a given round but could only see a maximum of 40 pitches during that time frame.
The players also got a few additional attempts during an untimed bonus round, during which they could swing until they made three outs, or four outs if one of their bonus home runs traveled at least 425 feet.
Alonso, who went fifth on Monday, hit nine home runs in regulation and three more during the bonus round.
Philadelphia’s Alec Bohm (21), Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez (21), Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. (20) and the Dodgers’ Teoscar Hernandez (19) advanced to the second round, while Texas’ Adolis Garcia (18), Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna (16) and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson (11) were eliminated with Alonso.
Alonso, 29, was eliminated in the previous two years during head-to-head matchups with Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez, who did not compete in Monday’s derby.
Monday marked the third time Jauss pitched to Alonso, having won the event with him in 2021 and thrown to him again in 2022. There was no Home Run Derby in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I keep doing it because as a kid, I dreamt of doing it,” Alonso said Tuesday of the Home Run Derby. “I loved watching it as a kid. I keep doing it for my childhood self.”
Alonso is the Mets’ lone All-Star this year after leading the team with 19 home runs before the break. It’s the fourth selection for the first baseman, who is set to be a reserve behind Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.
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