Alonso, the defending champion from 2019 when he beat Vladimir Guerrero Jr., was almost a forgotten man when the baseball world descended on Denver for the 2021 edition.

For sure, Alonso’s experience in this contest sure appeared to ease his comfort level, as he blew away the other sluggers by crushing 35 homers in the first round, a Derby opening-round record ...

2021 MLB Home Run derby: Pete Alonso defends his crown, while Shohei Ohtani shines in slugfest at Coors Field Story by Everyone agrees: The MLB All Star Game jerseys are terrible 0:00 ...

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso hit 23 home runs to defeat Baltimore Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini in the final of the 2021 Home Run Derby at Coors Field.

It is true that Alonso’s hard work has improved his defense over the past few years, going from -6 Outs Above Average in 2019, to -5 OAA in 2020, to 1 OAA in 2021, per Statcast’s metrics.

The last time there was a Home Run Derby, New York Mets star Pete Alonso beat Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the final in front of a sold-out crowd at Progressive Field in 2019.

So far in 2021, Alonso is hitting .250/.333/.451 with 11 homers and 35 RBI in 58 games. No one has won two straight Home Run Derby titles since Yoenis Cespedes in 2013 and 2014.