Pete Alonso's Latest Quote After Winning Home Run Derby Proves He Totally Gets it
Pete Alonso stole the show Monday night after out-dueling Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. in the 2019 Home Run Derby, but it was what he had to say after the win that caught our attention.
Pete Alonso perfectly summed up the appreciation he has for the Home Run Derby.
More Pete Alonso on the HRD win:
— David Lennon (@DPLennon) July 9, 2019
“A million dollars, you can put it in the bank, you can spend it all. It doesn’t matter what you do with it. At the end of the day, I’m a Home Run Derby champion. No one’s going to take that away from me. That in itself is priceless.”#Mets
Alonso understands how historic an event the Derby is, and he's clearly grateful to be apart of a talented class of winners. It's a very mature comment for the youngster, especially considering he plays on a base salary of $555,000.
After Guerrero Jr. dominated the first round, breaking Josh Hamilton's single-round home run record, he met Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson in the semifinals. The two combined for a total of 79 home runs, needing two swing-offs to determine a winner.
Guerrero's 69th home run of the night would send him to the finals, where he'd meet the Mets' rookie. Alonso, needing 23 home runs to beat Guerrero, Jr. in the final round, mashed the walk-off to left center field with 18 seconds remaining, sealing the win in his rookie season.
WALK IT OFF!
— MLB (@MLB) July 9, 2019
Pete Alonso is your #HRDerby champ. pic.twitter.com/M4OTrb3ymJ
Even though Alonso took home the $1 million prize money -- almost double his salary for the 2019 season -- he knew the victory was worth more than just money.