4/10/2023 0 Comments Groove agent 4 upgrade![]() Pretty much my entire load is trying to see the ball in my area. "I have an area I'm looking for the ball to be in. "Basically I'm just looking for a pitch in my area," Alonso said. High flies that fall short of the fence are killers. Remember, a pitcher must wait until a fly ball lands to throw the next offering. In timed derbies, it's not only imperative for a pitcher to find the hitter's sweet spot but also for the participant not to swing at substandard pitches. When you have 40, 50,000 people with their eyes on you and breathing down your neck, so to speak, it can be difficult." It's just as nerve-wracking for the pitcher as it is the hitter, because the pitcher has a responsibility to throw the ball over the dish. As much as I have to hit 'em, the pitcher's gotta throw 'em. "Right over the middle of the plate and right in the bread basket. "He knows where it is just right," Alonso said. Dave Jauss, the former Mets bench coach and current pitcher in Home Run Derby X, MLB's attempt to make the Derby an international event, turned into a temporary celebrity last year when he grooved pitch after pitch into Alonso's nitro zone. Not everybody, Alonso acknowledged, can get the best batting practice pitcher in the world - a pitcher willing to fly in from Europe for the event. I just want to hit one more than whoever I'm facing." "So I don't really pay attention to who's doing it. "It doesn't necessarily matter who I'm facing because I'm just out there and focusing on my job at hand, which is whatever number is set, I just need to hit one more than that," he said. But he is Pete Alonso, and everyone else isn't, and that sort of self-assurance goes a long way. Acuna's prodigious power stroke and youth - he's 24 - are the sort of combination that plays well in this event. It would be easy, and natural, for Alonso to fear Acuna - his first-round opponent (the 7-seed, with eight home runs this season). Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber leads the field, followed by Alonso, Corey Seager, Soto, Jose Ramirez, rookie Julio Rodriguez, Alonso's opponent Ronald Acuna Jr. 2 seed in this year's Derby, which ranked hitters based on their first-half home runs. So it's really amazing that for me, I have a relationship with my childhood idols."Īlonso is the No. "Mark actually texted me the other day, and he's pretty excited that I was gonna participate in the Derby. "I thought they were pretty much superheroes, and to be able to reach out to both of 'em ," Alonso said. And when you're Pete Alonso, your friends are Mike Piazza and Mark McGwire, the latter of whom won the 1992 Derby. So I just want to be able for my body to bounce back, recover and be able to sustain a high energy output."įor those who have the gumption to enter a home run derby, know that the backing of friends goes a long way. And then you start feeling fatigued if you're not. I always try and be the most hydrated person I can be because when you're out here sweating, especially now in the summer, it gets to be a lot. ![]() "People think that the Derby's a power showcase, but I think it's more of an endurance competition," Alonso said. Then he receives 30 seconds of bonus time - and can earn another 30 seconds if, in the first three minutes, at least one homer travels 440-plus feet. Each competitor swings for three minutes, with one 45-second timeout per round. The Derby's new format, instituted in 2015, places the eight participants in a seeded bracket. ![]() Is your favorite star headed to Hollywood? Full coverage » The All-Star Game in Los Angeles is just around the corner. Above all, he drinks water like he's suffering from a personal drought. He makes sure to eat well and grab a few extra hours of sleep. Winning a home run derby starts days before the event itself, Alonso said. Behold, only a few hours before he puts them to the test: Pete Alonso's 10 Rules to Win a Home Run Derby. And in a recent interview with ESPN, Alonso peeled back the curtain on how he approaches the Derby and what it takes to win, whether you're a seasoned big leaguer or a rookie in search of glory. To do so will take strategy alongside skill. Though Alonso, 27, has plenty of time to match Junior's total, he'd rather go the three-peat route. has taken three Home Run Derby titles, and he did so in 1994, 19. Winner of the last two derbies in 20, Alonso is primed to make history with a third straight. 268/.344/.527 line in a depressed offensive environment this season is a testament to that - the annual midsummer reminder of his longball prowess is set for another go-around Monday at Dodger Stadium on ESPN at 8 p.m. As well-rounded a hitter as Alonso has become - his. Never does that love manifest itself better than at the Home Run Derby, the All-Star week showcase in which Major League Baseball's greatest home run hitters show out.
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