Two-time Derby champ Pete Alonso of the New York Mets announced Sunday that he'll participate in the 39th All-Star Game Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field on July 15.
The 94th All-Star Game is scheduled for July 16 at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
With another Derby title, Alonso can match Ken Griffey Jr. as the only three-time Derby champion. Griffey, a Baseball Hall of Famer, won in 1994, 1998, and 1999.
Alonso is the first player to compete in the Derby five consecutive seasons (the 2020 event was canceled) and the seventh player to compete in five or more overall.
The first baseman joins the Orioles' Gunnar Henderson and the Phillies' Alex Bohm as players committed to participating in the field of eight. Other potential participants include the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández, and the Guardians' José Ramírez. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who leads MLB with 32 homes, and Juan Soto have both said they are not participating, as did the Astros' Yordan Alvarez.
Alonso outslugged Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Cleveland in his first Derby in 2019, winning in his rookie season despite hitting 57 total homers compared to Guerrero's single-Derby record 91.
Alonso, 29, was selected to his fourth All-Star Game and made the Derby announcement on social media Sunday evening.
After the Derby was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alonso returned in 2021 to edge out the Orioles' Trey Mancini 23-22 in the final round. Alonso hit 74 total homers, the fourth-most in Derby history, including 35 in the first round.
In 2023, Guerrero Jr. beat Rays slugger Randy Arozarena 25-23 in the final to win his first Derby.
