Pete Alonso-Julio Rodriguez rematch highlights Home Run Derby - ESPN

Pete Alonso is going to get his Home Run Derby grudge match against Julio Rodriguez. And this time it will be in front of a partisan crowd.

The first-round matchup between the New York Mets' first baseman, a two-time champion, and the Mariners' center fielder highlights the slate for the 38th Derby, which will air Monday on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET from Seattle's T-Mobile Park. The winner will receive a $1 million prize.

After winning the previous two Derbies, Alonso was ousted last year in the semifinals at Dodger Stadium by Rodriguez, then a 21-year-old rookie. The winner of No. 2-seeded Alonso and No. 7-seeded Rodriguez will face the winner of third-seeded Mookie Betts, making his Derby debut, and sixth-seeded Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who set the single-round (40) and whole-Derby (91) records in 2019 but lost to Alonso in the finals.

Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert, who announced his participation Wednesday, will be the No. 1 seed on account of his 25 home runs. He'll face Baltimore catcher Adley Rutschman, whose 11 homers are the fewest among the competitors.

Joining Betts, Robert and Rutschman as first-timers are the final participants, fourth-seeded Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia and fifth-seeded Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, who are close friends and were roommates once upon a time.

Among those not in the Derby: defending champion Juan Soto, megastar Shohei Ohtani — who has competed once, in 2021 — and Cincinnati Reds rookie Elly De La Cruz, who said he turned down an invitation.

The Alonso-Rodriguez matchup should provide compelling theater for a Derby that has been reinvigorated by a new format in which the league introduced a bracket format, gave each player 4 minutes a round to hit as