NEW YORK _ There wasn't any hesitation. No hemming about the Home Run Derby, and how it can affect a swing. When league officials contacted Pete Alonso's agents, the agents didn't even need to ask him. They already knew the answer.
"They knew I was about do it," Alonso said. "It's something I always looked forward to it. I grew up kinda of the same person I am now _ kind of just a big power hitter and it's something like, man, hopefully I get to do this one day. I'm really excited and hopefully I get picked for the game, too."
In the age of skeptics _ from Mike Piazza to now Aaron Judge, many a slugger has decided to forego the challenge lest they mess up their swing _ Alonso stood out for his boundless enthusiasm. He already has a natural home run swing _ he had 27 going into Friday _ and intends to be careful in Cleveland.
"I understand that the Home Run Derby is a really special event, but I guess I'm going to go into it conscious that the important thing is performing during the season," he said. "I want to be able to do the best I can during the derby, but also, at the same time, I'm going to be conscious of the season. Playing for my team is the upmost priority. For me, this is something fun. I'm trying to win it, obviously, but I think for me, I just want to go out there, have fun and represent the Mets in a really great way."
He's already picked out his pitcher _ his cousin, Derek Morgan, a second baseman who played for St. Bonaventure. Morgan threw batting practice to Alonso in Atlanta, and will do it again before or during the Subway Series, Alonso said. They'll practice derby style, then, with a catcher.
"If I go up there and keep everything simple and say, hey, it's my cousin throwing me BP, it's going to be awesome," Alonso said. "I'm just really excited."
And really, there's just one thing that would make it better. A chance to be on the field the day after, at the All-Star Game.
"To do the game, that would be surreal," he said. "That would be the total icing on the cake."
