Pete Alonso sets Mets franchise record for home runs

Pete Alonso (Google Images)

History was made within the New York Mets organization on Tuesday. In the Mets’s 13-5 win over the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field, Mets first baseman Pete Alonso of Tampa, Florida became the Mets’s franchise leader in home runs.

Alonso entered the game with 252 home runs. He was tied with Mets’s seven-time National League All-Star Darryl Strawberry of Los Angeles, California for the franchise lead. Then Alonso made Mets history with a two-run shot in the bottom of the third inning with a 394 foot shot to right centre field for his 253rd career home run, all with the Mets. The home run put the Mets up 5-1 at the time, and scored Mets left fielder Brandon Nimmo of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

However, Alonso was not done. He hit his 254th career home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the Mets up 11-5. In fact, Alonso was one of two Mets players with two home runs in the contest. The other player to accomplish the feat was catcher Francisco Alvarez of Guatire, Venezuela.

For the season, Alonso is batting .267 with 28 home runs and 96 runs batted in. During 119 games, 445 at bats, and 514 plate appearances, he has scored 63 runs and had 119 hits, 30 doubles, one triple, one stolen base, 50 walks, 235 total bases, and seven sacrifice flies, with an on base percentage percentage of .352 and a slugging percentage of .528. The triple came in a 5-4 Mets win over the St. Louis Cardinals on April 18.

This was the fourth time this season that Alonso had two home runs in a game. He also accomplished the feat in a 6-1 Mets win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 4, in a 13-5 Mets win over the Colorado Rockies on June 8, and in a 12-6 Mets win over the New York Yankees on July 5.

New York currently has the third wildcard spot in the National League at 64 wins and 55 losses. They lead the Cincinnati Reds by two games for the final playoff spot.