Pete Alonso is on the verge of making history.
On Monday night against the Guardians, Alonso launched his 251st career home run during the sixth inning.
With this latest blast, he’s just one home run shy of Daryl Strawberry’s franchise record of 252.
Strawberry, a seven-time All-Star for the Mets, was among the top three National League MVPs twice, and he achieved this in 1,109 games from 1983 to 1990.
Making his debut in 2019, Alonso looks poised to break the record in under 1,000 games.
His solo home run was part of an eventful night, where he tallied a stellar performance despite a 7-6 loss to the Guardians. He finished 5-for-4 with 10 RBIs and four runs batted in.
“Everything felt right today,” Alonso remarked. “I was in sync, and my body felt good.”
His performance was especially vital for a Mets offense that had been sluggish until the sixth inning.
The three-run homer sparked the Mets after they quickly fell into a five-run deficit in what had been a scoreless game.
Later, in the eighth, Alonso hit an RBI single that narrowed the gap to one run. When the game reached the ninth with the bases loaded, there was a moment where Alonso could have ended it, but he was feeling the pressure.
Some might consider this the most frustrating part of the evening for him. However, he saw it differently.
“Honestly, if we hadn’t done anything at all, that would have been way more frustrating,” he said. “So I think it could have been worse.”
Although Alonso didn’t make it in the ninth, coach Carlos Mendoza felt it was still a successful night for him.
“It was a great night for Pete; he was solid with the bat,” Mendoza stated. “They went with a fastball, and they got him.”
