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Pete Alonso tops 40 and 41 HR for the season
Pete Alonso goes into the yard twice for his 40th and 41st home runs of the season in the Mets’ win over the Mariners.
New York — Pete Alonso put himself in strong company on Sunday.
A two-time All-Star homer and drove in four runs, he reached 40 homers and 100 RBI for the second consecutive season as the New York Mets defeated the #1 Seattle Mariners 6-3.
Alonso hit an RBI single in the first inning before his third-inning shot made him the fifth player in major league history with at least three seasons of 40 homers in his first five carries, joining Hall of Famers Ralph Keener (four times), Eddie Mathews, and Ryan Howard, and Albert Pujols.
“Kind of mind-boggling,” said Alonso. “Impressive names. I had no idea.”
Jeff McNeil also went deep — after completing a timid homer run Saturday night — and New York took two of the Mariners’ three games to give them their first series loss since Aug. 11-13 against the Baltimore Orioles.
“It’s been a long time,” said Seattle manager Scott Servier.
Seattle, which won 21 games in August, started the day leading the American League West by one game over the Houston Astros.
“We’ve just had a historic month for the organisation, and we may have had a little setback here,” said Mike Ford, the M’s first baseman, who hit the second of the hosts’ back-to-back fourths. “But we can go straight back to it.”
Alonso’s single homer in the seventh made him the fourth player in Mets history with at least three 100-RBI seasons. David Wright has reached the 100-RBI mark five times, and Carlos Beltrán and Daryl Strawberry have each done so three times.
“For better or for worse, we know one thing: Pete is going to walk through that door the same guy every day,” said Mets manager Buck Showalter. “A joy to be around. He never has a bad day. He cares about his teammates, he cares about the Mets. And seeing guys like him achieve success makes it all the more fun.”
Alonso’s 41 home runs are tied for second in a season in franchise history with Beltran and Todd Hundley. Alonso holds the team record with 53 as a rookie in 2019.
“It seems like yesterday I was in my first season,” said Alonso. “This is my fifth year, and time is running out. And that means a lot. This place has been very special to me. New York has treated me incredibly.”
Alonso could become a free agent after the 2024 season, and speculation has raged over whether the retooled Mets will replace him this winter after dumping veteran stars Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander over the summer to retool the farm system.
“Everyone knows that’s part of the game until the decade is up,” said New York shortstop Francisco Lindor.
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”