It was truly a historic night on Tuesday for slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, who leap-frogged Darryl Strawberry to become the New York Mets franchise home run leader.
Tuesday, August 12th is a date Mets fans will always remember as that was when, during the third inning action of an eventual 13-5 win against the Atlanta Braves, history was made when at 7:57 p.m. Braves pitcher Spencer Strider’s 95 mph fastball was mashed by Alonso for his franchise record-breaking 253rd career home run.
This two-run shot, which at the time gave New York a 5-1 lead, was met by 39,748 fans at Citi Field, serenading the Mets’ new all-time home run king and continuing to chant his name while giving him a thunderous ovation. In a touching reaction, Alonso showed his love and appreciation towards the Mats fans by coming out for a curtain call.
In another heart-warming scene, Alonso, after rounding the bases, was met by enthusiastic smiling teammates and coaches who came out of the dugout to warmly embrace and congratulate the slugger.
“As a kid, you don’t really think that it’s in the realm of possibility to be a franchise home run leader,” Alonso said. “It’s a wild dream, to be honest. And it’s really special.”
Putting an explanation mark on this historic night, Alonso would go on in that same record-setting game to hit another home run.
Mets Slugging First Baseman Pete Alonso Making Franchise History
Alonso Showed Commitment Last February to Remain a Met
Last February, Alonso expressed his desire with Mets owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns to remain a Met.
Not long afterwards, Alfonso, who was a free agent, signed a two-year deal worth $54 million with a player opt-out offer after this season.
“He’s a really motivated player right now,” Stearns said. “He’s a very motivated player to have an elite Pete Alonso season. I expect we’re going to see that.”
Alonso, originally drafted 64th overall (second round) by the Mets, has, as of mid-August, a .267 with 28 home runs along with 96 RBI’s.
On the Mets’ all-time stats list, Alonso, who has 900 career hits, sits third best behind only Strawberry, who had 1,025 hits, and David Wright, who is the all-time Mets hits leader with 1,777. Meanwhile, Alonso also ranks third in team history for runs with 556 and RBI’s with 682. Once again, Strawberry is second on the list with 662 runs and 733 RBI’s, while Wright occupies the top spot with 949 runs and 970 RBI’s. If Alonso sticks around after his contract expires, then he’s sure to catch Wright for both those offensive categories.
Is Alonso Among the Best All-Time Mets?
Starting on Opening Day in 2019, when Alonso recorded against Washington Nationals pitcher Justin Miller his first hit, the player affectionately known as ‘polar bear‘ has not slowed down. A few days later, on April 1st, against Minnesota pitcher Dew Steckenrider, he hit his first MLB home run.
As a rookie, Alonso led the MLB with 53 home runs while producing 120 RBI’s and a .260 batting average in winning the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year.
Throughout his career, Alonso would be named a five-time NL All-Star (2019, 2022-2025), an MLB First-Team All-Star (2019), and emerge in 2019 as the MLB home run leader with 53 and in 2022 lead the NL with 131 RBI’s.
New York fans have reason to feel optimistic about Alonso staying long-term when, after hitting that historical home run stated to reporters,
“I love the city of New York, I love the fanbase. It’s been great,” Alonso said. “The business is the business side. If they choose to go in another direction, but for me it’s been an absolute treat and pleasure playing here. This group is really special… and was one of the biggest reasons why I came back. Not only the talent, but the people here.”
Alonso also expressed strong love towards the fans, expressed by the curtain call and tipping his helmet in acknowledgement of the fans. It’s quite obvious that there is a strong love affair between Alonso and Mets fans.
Main Image: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
