For Pete's Sake - Mets Pound Out 13 Runs on Alonso's Special Night

Mets 13 Braves 5 (Citi Field, Queens, NY)

Mets record: 64-55

Mets streak: Won 1

Last 10: 2-8

WP - Gregory Soto (1-3)

LP - Spencer Strider (5-10)

SV - Justin Hagenman (1)

Seat on the Korner: Pete Alonso

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

To say that Mets fans came to tonight's game hoping to see Pete Alonso break the Mets home run record would be an understatement. the The anticipation was there from Pete Alonso's first at bat, but all he could provide was a double. And while he would eventually come around to score the tying run, it was his next at bat that gave the crowd what they wanted. With two outs and Brandon Nimmo on first in the bottom of the third, The Polar Bear stepped to the plate looking to add to the Mets 3-1 lead. It didn’t take long. Spencer Strider’s first pitch, a 95 MPH fastball, never made it to the catcher’s mitt. Instead, Alonso launched it out to right center, where it came down in the Braves bullpen, 413 feet later, putting the Mets up 5-1, and more importantly crowning Alonso as the Mets all-time home run king. It was his 253rd career home run, besting Darryl Strawberry’s 37-year hold on the top spot.

And as if that wasn't enough, Alonso quickly topped his own record, with a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th, to put the Mets up 11-5.

In all, Alonso went 3-5 tonight, with a double, 2 home runs, 3 runs scored and 3 RBIs. Not only did he earn his spot on the throne as the Mets home run king, he also earned a seat on the Korner, next to Ralph who would be quite proud.

Need to Know

• Alsonso reached this mark in his 965th career game, while Strawberry's 252 home runs came in 1,106 games as a Met. Alonso is also now just four RBI shy of 100 for the season, which would give him his fourth career 100+ RBI year — second-most in club history behind David Wright’s five.

  
  

• Alonso’s 682 RBIs since his debut in 2019 lead the majors over that span. His 96 RBIs this year are second-most in the National League, just one behind Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies.

• Every Mets starter aside from Jeff McNeil got a hit tonight, and six of them had multiple hits: Alonso (3), Francisco Alvarez (3), Brandon Nimmo (2), Starling Marte (2), Cedric Mullins (2), and Brett Baty (2).

• The Mets 6-9 hitters went 9-18 (.500) with a double, three home runs, 6 runs scored, and 7 RBIs.

• Mets batters struck out just 4 times tonight.

• Clay Holmes recent struggles continued. He was unable to make it through 4 innings, giving up 5 runs (all earned) on 6 hits, with 5 walks and 4 Ks.

• Gregory Soto earned his first win of the season, and his first win as a member of the Mets.

• The Mets took advantage of some Braves poor baserunning, pulling off a remarkable 6-5-4-5 double play to end the top of the third inning.

Turning Point

While it was Pete Alonso's night, it was Brandon Nimmo's 3-run blast that changed the course of the game.

The Mets entered the top of the 4th inning with a little more swagger than we've seen recently to go along with their seemingly comfortable 5-1 lead. However, much like Sean Manaea's troubles in Sunday's game in Milwaukee, starting pitcher Clay Holmes could not hold onto the lead and was unable to give manager Carlos Mendoza the innings he so desperately needed. By the time the inning was over, the Braves had tied the game at 5, and the mood had gone from "here we go" to "here we go again."

Then, in the bottom of the frame, Francisco Lindor beat out a bunt for a 2-out single, and Juan Soto followed with a walk. Nimmo stepped up to the plate having just ended an 0-21 stretch with a single in the previous inning. This time, Nimmo jumped all over a 1-2 slider, blasting a 3-run home run to right center, and putting the Mets ahead 8-5. And they never looked back.

Three Keys

Alvarez of the Story

Not to be forgotten, Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez had a game of his own tonight. Much like Alonso, Alvarez had a double and 2 home runs, driving in 4 runs while scoring three.

Since returning from Triple-A Syracuse on July 21st, Alvarez is batting .304 (14-46) with 4 doubles, 3 home runs, and 8 RBIs.

Hagenman Saves In Multiple Ways

Mets pitcher Justin Hagenman, who made his career debut this past April recorded his first career save tonight. While a save in a 13-5 route might sound strange, it was most definitely earned tonight. Not only did Hagenman 4 strong innings settle down what had been an offensively-focused affair, he was also to give the taxed Mets bullpen some additional rest beyond Monday's off day.

In all, Hagenman went 4 innings without giving up a hit, walking one, striking out 5, and earning admiration and appreciation from many.

Too Much Power

The Mets had one of their best offensive outputs all season, with 13 runs on 16 hits. Six of those hits were home runs: Alonso 2, Alvarez 2, Nimmo, and Baty.

Given the Mets seemingly season-long struggles at the plate, it's somewhat understandable that the Citi Field was unprepared for the show that the team put on tonight.

Mets fans are hopeful that the team, and the stadium, will be able to reload tomorrow when they send David Peterson out to face former Met Carlos Carrasco and the Braves on Wednesday night for game 2 of this three game series.