Tampa Bay’s Pete Alonso To Host Inaugural Youth Baseball/Softball Competition For Charity

TAMPA, FL – Major League Baseball All-Star and New York Mets First Baseman Pete Alonso, who grew up and resides in Tampa, has announced plans for the inaugural Battle For The Bay, benefiting The Alonso Foundation, a youth homerun derby for boys and girls playing baseball and softball in the greater Hillsborough County community.

Tickets go on sale today (12/5) through the Alonso Foundation website (alonsofoundation.org) for the Saturday, January 14 event taking place at Alonso’s Plant High School.  From 3:00pm to 6:00pm boys and girls ages 12-16 from area little league and softball programs will compete to see who can hit the most homeruns.  A family-friendly fan-fest, complete with food trucks, games and activities will accompany the derby also on the Plant campus.  Additionally, Pete and other MLB friends will put on a hitting exhibition.

“Giving back to our community is who we are.  It was super important for us to be able to do that in my hometown and to help kids enjoy and have access to the game that has given us so much.  Haley and I are dedicated to building up the youth here where we live in Tampa and we are really excited to create this event as a legacy for years to come,” noted Pete, a 2013 graduate of Plant High School.

Alonso is the two-time MLB Homerun Derby Champion and set the rookie record for most homeruns in a season (53 in 2019).  Off the field Pete and his wife Haley created the Alonso Foundation in 2020 to give back to organizations in their community that support causes they care most deeply for.  As part of the Battle For The Bay, the Alonso Foundation plans to dedicate annual field refurbishments to local youth baseball and softball fields, with additional focus placed on veterans support and animal welfare causes in the region.

The inaugural competition and festival, being produced locally by the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, is meant as a flagship event for the Alonso Foundation to create more positive impact in the greater Tampa Bay area while simultaneously partnering with additional organizations in need. 

About The Alonso Foundation

In 2020, Haley and Pete Alonso were moved by the tremendous sacrifice being demonstrated by the multitude of heroes and frontline workers in our communities.  They formed their foundation to honor these local heroes and build up the causes they care most deeply about – supporting our youth, veteran's needs, and animal welfare. The mission of 'standing up for those who can’t' remains their guiding philosophy for giving.

The Alonso Foundation aims to be the voice for those who can't speak up for themselves, partnering with organizations that are advocating for and providing relief to those in need.  We vow to create lasting change in this world.  We partner with extraordinary organizations around the country to provide direct support in each of these areas and more. The donations we make are typically unrestricted to offer other nonprofits the flexible funding needed most to scale their work in service of those that need it most. Additionally, we work with educators, legislators, and stakeholders at the state and local levels to work to drive the policy changes that will create positive impact.