July 12 (UPI) — New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso beat Trey Mancini of the Baltimore Orioles in the 2021 Home Run Derby final Monday night at Coors Field to claim his second straight Derby title.
Alonso becomes just the third back-to-back Home Run Derby champion in MLB history, joining Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. (1998-99) and former Mets star Yoenis Cespedes (2013-14). Alonso’s two Derby crowns occurred over three seasons after the 2020 event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Needing six home runs in one minute to win the final, the 26-year-old Alonso hit six bombs on six swings over a 28-second stretch to eclipse the 22 long balls hit by Mancini during his final round.
Alonso began his title defense by bashing a first-round record 35 homers to eliminate the Kansas City Royals‘ Salvador Perez. In the second round, Alonso knocked off the Washington Nationals‘ Juan Soto, who defeated Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani in the opening round after two tiebreakers.
The Mets first baseman earned $1 million — more than his $676,775 salary — for the victory.