Pete Alonso Is the Mets’ All-Time Residence Run King, And He Ought to Be A Met For Life

NEW YORK — Almost six years in the past, Pete Alonso stood alone in baseball historical past. 

On a heat and nice late September night in New York, the Mets first baseman slammed his 53rd residence run of the 2019 season and snapped a tie with Yankees slugger Aaron Choose to develop into the primary main league rookie to achieve that mark. The record-setting residence run capped Alonso’s charming entrance into the large leagues. From being uncertain if he would make the major-league roster out of spring coaching, Alonso received the Opening Day beginning first-base job, earned his first All-Star look, received his first Residence Run Derby, and held the MLB rookie document for residence runs. 

That storied summer time was simply the beginning of a particular quest, one which laid the early groundwork for Alonso to sometime make franchise historical past. For a prolific slugger just like the Polar Bear, crushing 200 extra residence runs was certain to occur.

The second arrived towards Braves right-hander Spencer Strider within the third inning on Tuesday evening at Citi Discipline. After flirting with the likelihood for weeks, Alonso lastly stood alone because the Mets’ all-time home-run king when he slugged his 253rd profession homer, surpassing Darryl Strawberry for essentially the most in Mets historical past.

The Citi Discipline crowd of 39,748 serenaded Alonso across the bases by chanting his identify. The dugout emptied as Alonso’s teammates spilled onto the sphere and hugged him after he crossed residence plate. Alonso sported an infinite goofy grin for a number of minutes, together with when he stepped on prime of a dugout bench and tipped his helmet for the primary of two curtain calls he would expertise on Tuesday evening. 

“As a child, you don’t actually assume that it’s within the realm of chance to be a franchise home-run chief,” Alonso mentioned after taking a break from sipping his postgame Coors Gentle. “You simply don’t. You simply wish to get to the large leagues and provides it your greatest. The dream is de facto this opaque and unknown factor. You simply wish to get there and compete for a World Sequence and play profitable baseball. However to have that chance, you actually don’t give it some thought. It’s a wild dream, to be sincere.”

Within the sixth inning, Alonso prolonged his franchise home-run document by parking his 254th profession homer within the left-field seats. The moonshots have been contagious. Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Alvarez, and Brett Baty all homered because the Mets snapped their seven-game shedding streak by pummeling the Braves in a 13-5 win. Within the seventh inning, the staff introduced it had run out of fireworks “because of too many Mets residence runs.” The Polar Bear impact. 

“I’ve grown up on this group,” Alonso mentioned. “They believed in me as a 21-year-old child. They’ve persistently believed in me. Hopefully they proceed to imagine in me.”

(Photograph by Dustin Satloff/Getty Photographs)

Although Alonso appeared destined to go No. 252 from the second he broke into the large leagues — in any case, hitting essentially the most homers in Mets franchise historical past shouldn’t be an enormous document to interrupt, and it definitely isn’t Hank Aaron passing Babe Ruth with No. 715 — he virtually didn’t get the chance to attain it. In his contract yr final season, the primary baseman hit 34 residence runs (a full-season profession low) and recorded a .788 OPS (a profession worst) in 162 video games. On Sept. 22, 2024, the expectation was that Alonso’s eighth-inning groundout to 3rd base can be his remaining at-bat at Citi Discipline as a member of the Mets. 

Not even two weeks later, he promised many extra. 

Alonso modified the trajectory of his Mets profession along with his three-run residence run off Brewers nearer Devin Williams within the ninth inning of the 2024 Nationwide League wild card recreation. He prolonged the Mets’ season and gave them a shot at a deep playoff run that solely ended by advantage of the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in Sport 6 of the NLCS. The Mets’ magical season was over, however Alonso’s contract negotiations have been simply starting. 

By February, Juan Soto was a Met and Alonso nonetheless hadn’t signed a deal. Stories surfaced connecting Alonso to the Toronto Blue Jays and the San Francisco Giants. Mets proprietor Steve Cohen mentioned the negotiations with Alonso and his agent, Scott Boras, have been “exhausting,” including, “Soto was robust. That is worse.” As soon as the state of affairs reached all-time low, the one place to go was up. Lastly, on Feb. 6, Cohen and Alonso reached a two-year, $54 million pact (with a participant opt-out after this season) that made Alonso the highest-paid first baseman within the main leagues this yr. It wasn’t the long-term deal Alonso was in search of, nevertheless it introduced him again to the Mets.

“Pete’s straightforward to root for. He’s the embodiment of the Mets and the fan base,” Mets first base coach Antoun Richardson mentioned. “You watch him play, he provides his all each single time.”

Ask anybody across the Mets what they admire and respect essentially the most about Alonso, and it’s the identical sentiment. He works laborious. He performs day by day. He makes preparation a precedence. He provides his all. But, in Alonso’s case, giving the Mets his all may nonetheless not be sufficient to make him a lifelong Met. And as particular as his franchise-record-setting residence run was, it should at all times imply extra if he stays in New York and retains including to that complete.

Alonso is anticipated to train his opt-out and as soon as once more take a look at the Mets and the market this winter. The 30-year-old is incomes $30 million this season, and he nonetheless needs to lock down that long-term contract. Whether or not it should come from the Mets entrance workplace, which is led by president of baseball operations David Stearns, is anybody’s guess.

“I’ve a purpose to play baseball till I’m by means of my age-40 season,” Alonso mentioned. “And I’m going to work laborious and do this. You realize what, the enterprise aspect, Steve and David, they gotta come by means of.”

Alonso was requested if he has an concept of what that remaining hone-run complete may appear like if he stayed a Met by means of his age-40 season.

“There’s just one method to discover out,” Alonso quipped.

(Photograph by Dustin Satloff/Getty Photographs)

If Alonso doesn’t keep in New York, he is aware of Soto may go him because the all-time home-run chief. “Data are supposed to be damaged,” Alonso mentioned, however he nonetheless hopes his personal can maintain up for some time longer. Soto, who has 229 profession residence runs and is tied with Alonso for the team-lead this season with 28, may realistically break Alonso’s document within the first half of his 15-year contract with the Mets. If Alonso stays and indicators a long-term deal, it may very well be a long time earlier than anybody threatens to crack his home-run complete, which may very nicely be within the 450-500 vary by the point he hangs up his cleats for good. 

Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, one of many few gamers on the Mets roster who has performed with Alonso since his rookie season, needs the slugger to obtain what he deserves on a long-term contract. However he additionally needs that contract to return from the Mets. 

“I like Pete as a participant and I feel he’ll do very, very nicely on this subsequent market,” Nimmo mentioned. “But when I used to be his counselor, I might sit there, and I might inform him: From the place you’re sitting proper now, you’re actually good. You are the highest-paid first baseman within the league. And should you informed Pete Alonso at 18 years previous, going to [University of] Florida, that he would find yourself being the highest-paid first baseman in Main League Baseball — greater than Freddie Freeman, greater than Matt Olson, greater than Paul Goldschmidt. Clearly, again then, it could have been like, greater than Joey Votto. He would have been like, ‘Yeah! That is going to be nice. Signal me up.’”

Alonso has talked about wanting to stay a Met for all times, and he would retire in Queens if given the chance. Now, he has formally put the ball in Cohen’s court docket. Alonso is doing his half by swatting residence runs and serving to the Mets win video games. The slugger indicated on Tuesday that the stress is on Mets possession and the entrance workplace to re-sign a well-liked and homegrown participant — a face of the franchise — to a long-term contract. 

The Polar Bear proved he belongs in New York. What is going to it take for Cohen and Stearns to return by means of?

“It meant loads, despite the fact that he received’t say it,” Mets supervisor Carlos Mendoza mentioned of Alonso breaking Strawberry’s document. “You watch that face and the way a lot pleasure he had, particularly when he stood on the bench within the dugout and tipped his helmet to the group, he’s like a child with a brand new toy. He was humble. It was laborious to explain the face of Pete there. He was having fun with the entire second. It meant loads to him.”

Deesha Thosar covers Main League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports activities. She beforehand coated the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Each day Information. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Lengthy Island and now lives in Queens. Observe her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Get extra from the Main League Baseball Observe your favorites to get details about video games, information and extra