Pete leads Mets assault that spanks Yanks for fourth straight victory

Mets 12 Yankees 6 (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets record: 52-38

Mets streak: Won 4

Last 10: 6-4

WP - Frankie Montas (1-1)

LP - Carlos Rodon (9-6)

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.

Frankie Montas was starting. There were sparse options in the bullpen. How many runs would be enough to get the Mets a win over the Yankees in the second game of the three-game series at Citi Field? Well, the Mets got 12 and, while their pitchers staggered to the finish line as the Yankees answered all but one Amazin' rally with one of their own, it turned out to be enough. Leading the way was Pete Alonso, who belted his 19th and 20th home runs of the season and drove in five runs to get the Korner invite. Alonso hit his first homer in the fifth inning, a two-run shot to the opposite field against Yankees starter Carlos Rodon. It was Alonso's first home run in 54 at-bats and it gave the Mets a 7-2 lead.

It was 8-5, Mets, when Alonso came up in the seventh, with a run already in and two on. Facing Jayvien Sandridge, making his big-league debut, Alonso jumped on a first-pitch fastball and hit a no-doubter into the seats in left for a three-run shot that stretched the Mets' lead to six runs.

It was Alonso's 246th career homer, drawing him to within six of Darryl Strawberry's Mets record of 252. It was also his 11th career home run against the Yankees, the most by a Met. It marked the third time this season, and 24th time in his career, that Alonso has hit two homers in a game. The five RBI pushed his total to 73 for the season and 659 for his career, moving him ahead of Mike Piazza and into third place for Mets career RBI. "We're playing our brand of baseball," Alonso said of the Mets' fourth straight victory. "We've been resilient and playing complete games."

Need to Know

• The Mets remained a half-game out of first behind the Phillies, who were 5-1 winners over the Reds.

• Juan Soto bunted in the first inning with runners at first and second and none out, a head-scratcher that went for a sacrifice. But since it was followed up by Alonso's walk and Brandon Nimmo's grand slam, it wasn't an issue.

• Frankie Montas started for the Mets and went 5.2 innings, leaving in the sixth with the Mets ahead 7-4. He was followed on the hill by Richard Lovelady (one earned run in one inning), Chris Devenski (no runs in .1 inning), Ryne Stanek (one run in one innig) and Edwin Diaz (a scoreless ninth).

• The first hit given up by Montas was a solo homer by Jazz Chisholm with one out in the second inning.

• The second hit Montas yielded was a solo home run, this one by Austin Wells leading off the Yankee third.

• Montas didn't give up another hit until the sixth inning, when he was touched for three, the third being Cody Bellinger's two-run single to center.

• Anthony Volpe hit a solo shot for the Yanks off Richard Lovelady with one out in the seventh.

• There have been 13 home runs hit in this series. The Yanks hit four in the first game to the Mets' three, and both teams hit three in Game 2.

• Aaron Judge was held hitless with a walk and a strikeout in four trips, grounding out to third to end the game.

• A few players on both teams got wobbled during the game. Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe hit Aaron Judge in the head with a throw as Judge came off the field after the third out in the fifth inning. Judge needed a bandage alongside his right eye.

• Also, both catchers were checked for concussions after being rocked by foul balls off their masks, and Jeff McNeil took a pitch off his shoulder that glanced off his helmet in the seventh.

• Diaz pitched the ninth despite the six-run lead because Carlos Mendoza got him up in the eighth with Stanek teetering. The Yankees will have ace Max Fried (10-2) going in the finale and the Mets — who hadn't yet decided who will pitch for them in Game 3 — couldn't take a chance of letting this one get away. Mendoza did get newest Met Zach Pop up in the pen with the Mets batting in the eighth, but decided against bringing him in. Also, Mendoza said, "Once I got Diaz hot in the eighth, I knew he was pitching."

• The finale is set for a 1:40 p.m. start.

Turning Point

With the Mets' bullpen questions, you never really felt comfortable until Alonso hit his second homer that made it 11-5 in the seventh. And even those six runs didn't feel safe, with the way balls were flying out of Citi Field. Here's that Alonso homer the way the Yankee radio booth saw it.

Three Keys

Let's go Brandon

Brandon Nimmo delivered a knock-down blow for the Mets right off the bat. After Starling Marte doubled leading off the Mets first inning, Francisco Lindor walked, Juan Soto bunted them over and Pete Alonso walked, Nimmo — behind in the count 1-2 and looking bad on a Carlos Rodon slider for strike two — crushed the next pitch over the wall in right field for a grand slam to give the Mets a 4-0 lead and the early momentum. It was Nimmo's 18th homer and his third grand slam this season, making him the first Met to do that since Carlos Beltran hit three in 2006. In all, five Mets have turned that trick. It was also the fourth slam of Nimmo's career and second on this homestand.

Sterling Starling

Starling Marte has had to accept a reduced role this season, but has been contributing just the same — especially lately. In his last 16 games, the veteran has hit .328 with five extra-base hits, six RBI, sixth multi-hit games and an .823 OPS. And he got the Mets' offense started with a bang in Game 2 of the series. Leading off the first frame as the designated hitter, Marte cracked a double to the left-center gap — his 1,600th career hit — and was on base for Brandon Nimmo's grand slam. He came up again in the second, with Tyrone Taylor on second with one out, and slammed a Carlos Rodon pitch off the left-field wall. Marte was held to a single, but delivered the run. He was pinch hit for by Ronny Mauricio in the seventh, and Mauricio would double and score on a single by Francisco Lindor.

Oh, Frankie

When your pitching line says four runs allowed, all earned, over 5.2 innings, it normally wouldn't be much to write home about. But Frankie Montas gave the Mets a chance to win with his performance, which, as Carlos Mendoza said, "was a lot better than his linescore." After giving up solo home runs in the second and third innings, Montas — who was smacked around in four innings against the Pirates just six days ago — retired nine straight before incurring some tough luck in the sixth. Oswald Peraza led off with an infield hit and then Trent Grisham dunked a bloop single to left. Montas got Aaron Judge to ground to third, moving up both runners, before Cody Bellinger reached out and flicked a pitch to center to drive in two. Montas got the next out before being replaced by Richard Lovelady, who escaped without further damage. But at a time when the Mets are short on quality, proven starting pitchers, Montas gave the Mets more than many probably figured he would.