What a rollercoaster of emotions it was for Pete Alonso late in Game Three of the Mets’ Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
After Jose Buttó came in and gave up back-to-back solo home runs to Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick in the bottom of the seventh inning, Milwaukee threatened to tack on to its newfound 2-0 lead against Edwin Díaz with runners on second and third base and two outs.
With William Contreras entrenched in a 2-1 count, the Brewers catcher skied a pop-up down the first baseline and into foul territory. Alonso ranged back near the screen and was in position to make a routine play, but instead whiffed as the ball dropped behind him.
Díaz ultimately put an end to Milwaukee’s scoring chance by striking out Contreras, but the play perfectly epitomized Alonso’s recent fortunes. Heading into Thursday night, the slugging first baseman hadn’t recorded an extra-base hit since Sept. 19 and was seemingly coming up empty time and time again in crucial situations for the Mets.
Truthfully, it felt as though his career in the blue and orange was set up to end in unceremonious fashion as an impending free agent. Alonso is a fan-favorite among the fanbase and had emerged as one of MLB’s most prolific power hitters during his time with the Mets, but patience was wearing thin.
We all know how beautifully poetic baseball is, though. For as despondent as fans were leading into the ninth inning with a two-run deficit and one of the game’s best closers in Devin Williams toeing the slab, there was that inkling of hope in the back of Mets’ fans minds that maybe, just maybe, Alonso would find his way to the plate and become a hero, just as he had done plenty of times in the past.
Photo by Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
After Francisco Lindor led off the inning with a walk and Brandon Nimmo singled two batters later, New York had runners on the corners with one out for no one other than Alonso.
He took Williams’ patented changeup down the middle for a strike on the first pitch before spitting on three-straight offerings out of the zone. In a 3-1 count, Alonso locked in and connected with a changeup on the outer part of the zone, rocketing it out to the opposite field over Frelick’s head to give the Mets a 3-2 lead.
Pandemonium ensued in the team’s dugout as a mass of players spilled onto the field and waited their turn to embrace Alonso after he crossed home plate. One thing that stuck out in particular from the entire scene was the fact that Alonso, who never lost his confidence despite his struggles, knew that the ball was gone immediately off the bat when almost no one else did. For as much as he kept his composure through his downturn, it was clear that the emotion had been bubbling up and was ready to burst, and perhaps no one needed a morale booster as desperately as he did.
For all intents and purposes, no one embodies what it means to be a Met more than Alonso. He’s a homegrown player who plays with his heart on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to be himself. No one can ever deny Alonso’s passion or love of both the team and the city, and perhaps that’s why he hadn’t looked like himself for quite some time leading up to his home run. He’s human, and it had almost certainly dawned on him that he could be nearing the end of his tenure with the organization, the only one he had known since being drafted in 2016. That fact likely weighed on him, applying pressure to go out and perform like the star he had proven himself to be across his career.
Alonso accomplished just that, and in doing so delivered one of the most memorable moments in Mets history, perhaps even baseball history. No one knows what’s going to happen against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS or beyond, but seeing him come through in that instance almost felt too perfect, like the story of the 2024 Mets was airing at an AMC Theatre.
If you don’t believe in magic after last night, then I’m not sure what to tell you.
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