With two-homer evening, Pete Alonso assumes his rightful place as Mets' Residence Run King

[ad_1] Sixty-three gamers had been taken forward of Pete Alonso within the 2016 MLB Draft. That cluster included 17 different school hitters, 4 different College of Florida Gators and two different New York Mets. By the point Alonso’s identify was known as late within the second spherical, commissioner Rob Manfred had lengthy since ceded the stage. As a substitute, legendary Mets reduction pitcher and former staff captain John Franco introduced the choose.

Because the sixty fourth general choice, Alonso was no diamond within the tough. The stocky first baseman had an exceptional finish to his junior season in Gainesville, capturing himself up draft boards and finally incomes a signing bonus simply shy of $1 million. Evaluators agreed that Alonso had a few of the greatest uncooked energy within the draft class however held doubts about whether or not he would hit sufficient to actualize that juice.

Commercial

Alonso had suffered a rash of weird accidents in school that restricted seems to be for scouts. He had an underwhelming summer time within the Cape Cod league after his sophomore 12 months. There have been additionally issues about his defensive future, to not point out the horrendous observe file of right-handed-hitting school first basemen.

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]

And so, Peter Alonso, as he was usually known as again then, entered skilled baseball as a relative afterthought. The MLB Community broadcast in contrast him to CJ Cron. This was a hulking slugger with query marks, a middling athlete with a excessive offensive bar to clear.

Take into account it cleared.

Alonso, now a five-time All-Star, made Mets historical past on Tuesday.

Commercial

Within the backside of the third inning, he lined a first-pitch heater from Braves hurler Spencer Strider over the wall in proper. The blast was Alonso’s 253rd profession house run, pushing him previous Darryl Strawberry because the franchise’s all-time chief. He's the third energetic participant to be the franchise chief in homers, becoming a member of Manny Machado in San Diego and Mike Trout in Anaheim.

Because the ball crested past the fence, into the historical past books, a Citi Area crowd of almost 40,000 started roaring Alonso’s identify. After hugging throngs of teammates, the Polar Bear reemerged on the dugout’s high step and tipped his helmet to the Mets devoted. For good measure, he clobbered No. 254 three innings later.

The celebratory night and 13-5 victory over Atlanta supplied a much-needed change of tempo for the Mets, who personal MLB’s worst file in August. In fact, that’s no fault of Alonso’s; the approaching free agent is 14-for-44 with six house runs this month.

His record-setting blast on Tuesday was a second eight years within the making, but it was removed from assured. When Alonso hit free company final winter, there was actual doubt about whether or not he would return to Queens. With the Mets inking outfielder Juan Soto to a record-setting deal, a possible homecoming for the jolly slugger — then 26 homers shy of the franchise file — took a again seat.

Commercial

Because the winter inched alongside, negotiations between participant and staff grew contentious, finally bleeding into the general public eye. Ultimately, a marketplace for a long-term contract by no means materialized, and Alonso rejoined the membership on a two-year take care of an opt-out after this season.

[Get more New York news: Mets team feed]

It was, successfully, a procrastination, a short lived measure, a kicking of the can down the highway. Even so, that stopgap reunion enabled the joyous scenes on Tuesday night and allowed Alonso to imagine his rightful place because the Mets’ Residence Run King.

<img alt="Pete Alonso broke the Mets' home run record and added one more for good measure on Tuesday. (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports)" loading="lazy" width="960" height="540" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="standard-img" style="color:transparent" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/8jQ2vpqC2e8xloIeD_LUmA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2025-08/4ea72a10-786a-11f0-af3e-b09c86e19dc0"/> Pete Alonso broke the Mets' house run file and added another for good measure on Tuesday. (Mallory Bielecki/Yahoo Sports activities)

The membership’s file whole, now 254, is the third-lowest in MLB (behind Arizona and San Diego), a product of the Mets’ historic incapability to develop and, extra importantly, retain star sluggers. David Wright ought to have blown previous Strawberry’s mark of 252, however a torrent of debilitating accidents left him caught at 242. Different offensive difference-makers, equivalent to Carlos Beltran, Howard Johnson and Mike Piazza, spent vital time in different organizations.

Commercial

How a lot Alonso will be capable to pad his lead atop the Mets' file books is an open query. He’ll nearly actually retest free company this winter, buoyed by a convincing bounce-back marketing campaign. The Mets can be concerned, however curiosity from different groups is bound to be increased than it was final offseason. It's removed from a certainty that Alonso can be in orange and blue subsequent 12 months.

For now, although, this a lot is obvious: Pete Alonso is the best house run hitter in Mets historical past. The sixty fourth choose within the 2016 draft has blossomed into a really feared in-box presence, a family identify within the baseball world and fairly merely the most effective sluggers of his technology.