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Jeff PassanESPN
Since his debut in 2019, no one in baseball has run home more times New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso. No one comes close. Alonso’s 130 home games outshines the second-highest scorer at home, Eugenio Suarezequals 19. Alonso has more house number 24 Aaron JudgeMore than 32 Bryce HarperMore than 35 Juan Soto and more than 36 Mike Trout.
“It’s the most addictive feeling,” said Alonso. “I mean, I can’t stand it enough. I don’t know if anyone likes to hit the landlord more than me.”
Never has that love been shown better than at the Derby Home Run, All-Star Week showcase in which Major League Baseball’s greatest home runners are featured. As the perfect attacking player as Alonso has become – his .268 / .344 / .527 lines in a depressing attacking environment this season are a testament to that – annual midsummer reminder of his shooting prowess will take place another Monday at Dodger Stadium on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET.
Winner of the last two derbies in 2019 and Year 2021, Alonso is ready to make history for the third time in a row. Only Ken Griffey Jr has won three Home Run Derby titles, and he did in 1994, 1998 and 1999. Although 27-year-old Alonso has plenty of time to match Junior, he He wants to take the three-peat road.
To do so will require strategy along with skill. And in a recent interview with ESPN, Alonso lifted the curtain on how he approached the Derby and what it takes to win, whether you’re a seasoned big runner or a rookie looking to win. seek glory. Behold, just hours before he puts them to the test: Pete Alonso’s 10 Rules of Winning a Derby at Home.
Rule #1: Drink water like crazy
Victory in the home derby begins days before the event, said Alonso. He makes sure to eat well and sleep a few more hours. Most of all, he drank the water as if he was suffering from a personal drought.
Derby’s new format, set up in 2015, places eight participants in a seeding table. Each competitor swings for three minutes, with a 45-second timeout for each round. He then gets 30 seconds of bonus time – and can earn another 30 seconds if, in the first three minutes, at least one athlete covers more than 440 feet.
“People think the Derby is a show of strength, but I think it’s more of a contest of endurance,” said Alonso. “It was, not just the day before. It was a couple of days ago for me. I always try and be as hydrated as possible because when you’re out here sweating, especially now hours in the summer, it will be a lot. And then you start to get tired if you don’t [hydrated]. So I just want the body to come back, recover and be able to maintain a high energy output. “
Rule #2: Get emotional support
For those looking to take part in a home derby, know that the support of your friends will go a long way. And when you’re Pete Alonso, your friends are Mike Piazza and Mark McGwire, the latter of whom won the 1992 Derby.
“I think they’re pretty much a superhero and to be able to reach both [is amazing]”Alonso said.” Mark actually texted me the day before, and he was pretty excited that I was going to be in the Derby. So it’s really great for me to have a relationship with my childhood idols. “
Rule #3: Opponents don’t matter
Alonso is the 2nd seed in this year’s Derby, the team ranked high based on home games in the first half. Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber leading the field, followed by Alonso, Corey SeagerSoto, Jose Ramirezrookie Julio RodriguezAlonso’s opponents Ronald Acuna Jr. and Albert Pujols.
It would be easy and natural if Alonso had to fear Acuna – his first-round opponent (seeded 7, with eight home runs this season). Acuna’s extraordinary strength and youth – he’s 24 years old – are the perfect match for this event. But he’s Pete Alonso, and the others aren’t, and that kind of self-assurance goes a long way.
“I don’t have to face anyone because I’m just out there and focused on my work, it’s that whatever the number is set, I just need to hit a number more than that,” he said. speak. “So I don’t really pay attention to who’s doing it. I just want to hit a shot more than anyone I’m facing.”
Rule #4: Find the right thrower
Alonso admits not everyone can get the world’s best-practice pitcher – a ready-to-fly pitcher from Europe for the event. Dave Jauss, a former Mets bench coach and current pitcher on Home Run Derby X, MLB’s attempt to make Derby an international event, has become a temporary celebrity. time last year when he poured pitch after court into Alonso’s nitro zone.
“He knows where is just right,” said Alonso. “Right in the middle of the plate and right in the bread basket. As much as I have to throw, the pitcher has to throw them. The pitcher is just as stressed as the pitcher, because the pitcher is responsible for throwing the ball over the plate. When you have 40, 50,000 people looking at you and sighing down your neck, it’s hard to say.”
Rule #5: Know your area
In timed derbies, the pitcher is not only required to find the hitter’s sweet spot but also that the participant must not swing his arms on substandard surfaces. Remember that the pitcher must wait until a balloon lands to throw the next item. High flies flying over fences are killers.
“I’m basically just looking for a pitch in my area,” said Alonso. “I have an area where I’m looking for the ball. So that’s going to be my zone. Much of my entire force is trying to see the ball in my area. And then, when I finally got into that area. position, if I like what I see, you’ll see my hips, my core, my legs swing back and over the baseball.”
Rule #6: Stick to your shot
For all the surprise as to whether a Derby can ruin a player’s shot – plenty of evidence shows that participant attack counts decrease after the break… and plenty of examples exist. at about improving player offense – Alonso offered an opinion by trying to replicate his in-game swing in the show.
“When I practice hitting the ball, I try to make realistic shots,” said Alonso. “I want to play baseball fast and short, but with the same level of effort. Because I want to practice at the same pace. [as] the way I play.
“The spin is almost like a fingerprint, where every baseball player is different. In baseball, there are many comparisons. No two are alike. Everyone can be strikingly similar. But I think the spin is one of those things – it’s almost like a baseball player’s handprint.”
Rule #7: Use your timeout wisely
The right timeout could be a saving grace for a player’s chance at the $1 million First Division Derby. Participants can use it for any number of reasons – he has a bad start and wants to change his juju, he needs to calculate how fast he needs to hit to get past his opponent or normal , he is simply tired.
“I know it sounds like a super simple answer,” said Alonso, “but when I take my time, it’s like, OK, I need to take a breather. I need to reset. Or like last year. : I went through the halfway mark because we’re already in a really good groove.As soon as the groove ends, it’s like, OK, let’s take our time here, catch our breath, and then crossed the finish line. So I think the exact time off is huge.”
Rule #8: Let your emotions show
Trying to adjust to all the sensations of a Derby is still challenging for Alonso. He doesn’t have any special techniques to calm his nerves. So he embraces them all — and in the process, he likens himself to a carbonated beverage.
“There’s an excitement,” said Alonso. “There’s doubt. There’s knowledge. There’s reservations. It’s like an intact soda bottle of emotions. And then when you go out there and hit, when you shake it up and let off steam, that’s just it. is an emotional release.” And that’s when, for me, when I’m in my groove, it just comes naturally. “
Rule #9: Hit the tank
Look, home derbies are not for the meek. It takes special confidence to step into the hitter’s box and throw a ball over the fence. But come on. The fence is merely an arbitrary distance measure. As memorable as the group hosts can be, truly legendary performances come from the farthest hitters.
Alonso accepts this characterization. In last year’s final against Baltimore’s Trey Mancini, Alonso’s first strike yielded his longest stroke in a Derby: 509 feet. After that round, on the cusp of victory, he destroyed another ball: 115 mph, 508 feet from the bat before it landed. His 74 home runs in the event covered a total of 6.35 miles — an average of 453 feet per homer.
Dodger Stadium offers a particularly delicious opportunity for Alonso. Six times in history a batter has hit the ball past the off-court stand and out of the stadium: Willie Stargell twice, Piazza, McGwire, Giancarlo Stanton – who nearly made it to this year’s Derby but withdrew this week – and Fernando Tatis Jr. Alonso, a believer in the idea that the league uses stress balls for Derby, wants to be seventh.
“People always tell me that with the Derby balls and the environment that I might be able to put a ball in the parking lot,” said Alonso. “So I thought that would be fun. Hit a real ball out of the stadium.”
Rule number 10: There is an explosion
Perhaps this is obvious. The Home Run Derby is inherently a fun event, and regardless of the conflicting emotions, variables beyond your control, perils of hydration, it will be an opportune moment. Like the long ones. Be grateful to those who scrape the fence. Laughing at the awkward moments of crying and laughing. And, above all, enjoy it.
“I’m there to win,” said Alonso. “I’m doing it to win, and it’s great, but in the end I’m going to have a great time. I’ll be able to help support some people in need. It will be an explosion. “
