Iron sharpens iron: Alonso lifts before Derby
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LOS ANGELES -- How does Pete Alonso get himself pumped up for the Home Run Derby? He pumps iron, apparently.
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The Mets posted a short video shortly before Alonso took the field for his first-round showdown against Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Braves in which the two-time defending Derby champ was lifting weights -- in full uniform -- in a Dodger Stadium workout room Monday.
“Man on a Mission,” read the tweet.
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"That's not really heavy weights; it was just more me getting activated," Alonso said after he lost to Julio Rodríguez in the semifinals, falling short in his bid to win three Home Run Derbies in a row. "I just wanted to get everything kind of firing the right way, get the body warmed up. That's typical for pregame and stuff like that."
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When someone said he looked serious, the slugger replied: "If I'm going to compete, I'm going to compete to win."
Alonso’s pregame routine worked for the first round: He belted 20 homers to advance to the semifinals for a third straight Derby.
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