Pete Alonso Homers, Sets Course for Franchise Record
The 2025 New York Mets have the highest of expectations, especially from an offensive point of view. After scoring five runs across three games in the opening series against the Houston Astros, a spark was needed. On Monday night, Pete Alonso delivered just that.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Mets took a 2-1 lead following an RBI double from Jose Siri. Starling Marte was then hit by a pitch, raising the question of a possible pitching change. New Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough had Anthony Veneziano up in the bullpen, likely to go lefty lefty against Juan Soto. Instead, he decided to continue to push forward with his starter Cal Quantrill.
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Soto worked a walk, setting Alonso up with a chance to break the game open. Bases loaded, no outs. Early in his career, especially in 2019, Alonso was able to hit to the opposite field and hit for power in that direction. That made him such a difficult matchup for just about everyone. Alonso reminded us of that skill in Miami. He got into a 3-1 count, before wasting a sinker at the top of the zone and the bottom of the zone. On the seventh pitch of an at bat, Alonso got a down and away sinker. He put the ball in the right field seats.
“It’s a long time without hitting one. To finally do it in a big league game, it feels pretty cool. I can do it still,” Alonso joked. His first of the season not only gets him on the board, but puts him 25 home runs away from tying Darryl Strawberry for the Mets all-time record. We’ll all be following this campaign to set the franchise record—it’s one of the key storylines for the year. He’s 15 shy of tying David Wright.
Monday’s offensive explosion gave fans a glimpse of what the middle of the Mets lineup can do. With Fransisco Lindor and Soto ahead of Alonso, the opportunities with runners on base are constantly going to be there for the slugger. Taking advantage of those high leverage moments will be critical. “You want Pete to control the strike zone and when they’re coming in the zone, we know he’s dangerous because of the power. I thought overall he’s giving us really good at-bats,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said.
Many have talked about the idea of Alonso having standout season with the looming contract being less of a factor. That plus who is hitting in front of him certainly sets him up for what could be a great year. If Alonso can continue to make good swing decisions and show willingness to go the other away, opposing pitchers are in for a long season. Good signs for the first baseman early on in 2025.
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