LOS ANGELES (AFP) – New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso blasted his way to victory in Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby on Monday, bludgeoning 23 homers to defeat Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr in the final.
Alonso bested Guerrero, another rookie, with a nerveless display of power hitting to claim the $1 million prize on offer for the winner at Cleveland’s Progressive Field.
The derby is the traditional curtain-raiser to baseball’s mid-season All-Star Game, which takes place on Tuesday with the American League facing the National League line-up.
