New York Mets loss sours Pete Alonso’s historical franchise achievement

Pete Alonso set a record for the New York Mets on Tuesday night, but the individual achievement was overshadowed by a team loss.

With the New York Mets down 4-0 at home to the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night, the Mets were looking for some kind of spark. Pete Alonso provided just that with his 40th home run of the season, a towering shot that traveled 388 feet and had a launch angle of 33 feet.

While Alonso’s blast pulled the Mets within 4-3, New York would eventually fall to the Marlins, dropping a 6-4 decision. With the loss, New York and Atlanta are now tied atop the National League East with just seven games left to play. Among those seven games are three head-to-head matchups between the two division leaders in Atlanta this weekend (weather permitting as the remnants of Hurricane Ian are expected to move through the area).

Despite the loss, Pete Alonso made New York Mets history

With the outcome of the game, Alonso’s home run became a footnote, but a very important one for the franchise nonetheless. The 27-year-old two-time All-Star and two-time Home Run Derby champion became the first-ever Mets player to hit 40 home runs in a single season multiple times. Alonso also belted 53 home runs in 2019, the single-season record for the Mets.

The only other Mets players to accomplish 40 or more homers in a single season are Carlos Beltran (41 in 2006), Todd Hundley (41 in 1996), and Mike Piazza (40 in 1999). Former Mets slugger Darryl Strawberry came close to joining the 40-homer club in two different years, hitting 39 in back-to-back seasons (1987 and 1988).

Alonso has been on a tear at the plate over his last five games, slashing .350/.409/.900 with three homers and 10 RBI. The Mets will need him to stay red-hot if they are to hold off Atlanta and win the division.