The Mets’ Pete Alonso continues to amaze the Amazins.
Teammates and supervisor Buck Showalter couldn’t assist however marvel Sunday after Alonso turned the fifth participant in MLB historical past to report three years with 40 residence runs by 5 profession seasons.
Alonso — who slugged his fortieth and forty first residence runs of 2023 throughout Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Mariners — additionally tallied his a centesimal RBI of the season, making him the fourth Met to succeed in that milestone thrice.
“The sky’s the limit,” mentioned Fransisco Lindor, who joined the Mets in 2021. “I don’t think he has had his best year yet. I didn’t see the rookie season where he hit [53 home runs in 2019] but I think Pete could hit .300 and still hit 40 home runs in a year.”
Alonso, a profession .254 hitter, has by no means batted above .271 in a season, however his 187 residence runs rank fifth on the Mets’ all-time checklist. His solely 12 months with fewer than 37 homers got here in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the season to 60 video games.
“He takes advantage of the anxiety that he creates in pitchers,” Showalter mentioned. “They would kid him in the dugout [calling him] ‘the tablesetter’ with the walks and a single here or there. He’s called himself ‘the tablesetter’ a few times. He knows they’re pitching him very carefully. To do things when everybody’s expecting you to do it, it’s one my great [sources of] respect.”
Ralph Kiner, Eddie Mathews, Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard are the one different gamers with no less than three 40-homer campaigns by 5 seasons. Alonso described being of their firm as “mind-baffling.”
David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Darryl Strawberry are the one different Mets with a trio of 100-RBI seasons. Alonso mentioned he thought-about his a centesimal RBI Sunday to be extra significant than his fortieth residence run as a result of he prides himself on driving his teammates in.
“Doing it consistently can for sure put a target on your back, and for me, I know I’m going to get everybody’s best stuff. … I like driving in runs, and I feel like that’s an art form,” Alonso mentioned. “You can be taught it, but it takes a lot of discipline, especially when pitchers are throwing around you in tough situations. I do whatever I can to be prepared and do what I can to help the team win.”
Alonso is about to grow to be a free agent after the 2024 season and has been the topic of commerce rumors after the retooling Mets unloaded veterans together with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for prospects.
The historic homers Sunday provided a reminder of Alonso’s elite standing in baseball and quickly overshadowed the Mets’ youth motion, which included Friday’s MLB debut of prized prospect Ronny Mauricio.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a player hit 40 home runs in person, so it’s really incredible,” Mauricio mentioned of Alonso. “Tremendous player.”
Showalter described Alonso as “special.”
“He’s not driven by contracts and money and whatever,” Showalter mentioned Sunday. “It’s like I was talking to him the other day. He goes, ‘I’m gonna be able to pay the bills the rest of my life. I’m good.’ Pete’s got some other things in mind. He really wants to be the last team standing.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com