Pete Alonso (Part Two) The 2022 NL RBI Champ thru the 2024 Playoff Season
2022 Mets Wild Card Season: Alonso's season got off to a dangerous start early on.
Luckily, he nor anyone else was hurt in the accident. His wife was behind him watching the whole incident as it unfolded. He said it was a near death experience.
On March 25th, he signed a $7.4-million-dollar deal avoiding arbitration.
Hit By Pitch: On Opening Night April 7th in Washington DC, Alonso was struck on the shoulder by a pitch from Mason Thompson.
things looked bad as he was bleeding from his lip & checking to see if he had lost any teeth.
He was removed from the game but was seen icing the lip in the dugout, as he was quoted as saying "All good". It was one of three hits batsman in the game, as Mark Canha was plunked twice as well. It was the start of a long season of Mets batters getting hit.
On April 13th Pete had one of five, five RBI days on the season. This came in a 9-6 win at Philadelphia, He first had an RBI double down the line, he later hit another RBI double off the wall. He capped off his day with a three HR, his second of the season. Thru his first eight games he had ten RBIs.
Pete drove in two runs in the first game of the series vs. Arizona then hit a two run HR in the
finale, as five Mets pitchers combined on a 5-0 shut out. relievers.
finale, as five Mets pitchers combined on a 5-0 shut out. relievers.
On April 26th, Alonso was struck in the head again with a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals. This time even his wife joined in on the frustration venting off on social media.
That night three Mets were hit by pitches, upsetting Manager Buck Showalter & the team. The next day J.D. Davis was hit by a pitch & had to leave the game. Later Mets pitcher,
Yohan Lopez threw close to Nolan Arenado with a pitch in the 8th inning.
Yohan Lopez threw close to Nolan Arenado with a pitch in the 8th inning.
Quotes- Pete Alonso: "I got pulled from behind. Actually, Genisis Cabrera grabbed me by the back collar & he just ripped down. Then the coach just kind of jumped on me & I thought that was kind cheap. If you want to hold me back, is you want to restrain me, go at me like a man. I totally understand I'm a big guy, a big strong guy. Obviously, they don't know my temper. They don't know what I can do. If I wanted to put someone in the hospital, I easily could. I was just out there trying to protect my guys."
In May he had his most productive RBI month, driving in thirty runs. He batted .315 with a 1.011 OPS & a .398 on base %.
In a May 8th double header at Philadelphia, he crushed two HRs, for the first of three multi-HR games on the season. In that game he drove in five runs for the second time of the year. The Mets won it 6-1.
On May 18th he hit a three-run blast off the Cards TJ McFarland in the Mets five run 8th inning. The Mets went on to a 11-4 victory.
On May 22nd, Taijuan Walker pitched seven shutout inning in Colorado. Alonzo & Francisco Lindor supplied the two Mets runs in the 2-0 win. On May 23rd as the Mets moved to San Francisco, he had a big three hit game, hitting his 11th HR of the season, a three-run shot off Alex Cobb.
run HR off Bailey Falter giving the Mets a 5-0 lead over the Phillies. In the 4th inning he doubled in his fourth run of the game in the 8-6 Mets win.
In June the Mets went to Los Angeles for a big series at Dodger Stadium, with the mighty Dodgers. In the second game Alonso hit his 13th HR of the year, although the Mets lost the game 6-1.
In the final game the Mets salvaged the series & showed they could challenge L.A. as the NL's best team with the 9-4 win. Alonso would come up big with HRs off Walker Buehler in the 3rd inning & Brusdar Graterol in the 7th inning. Pete had three hits & five RBIs on the night.
Grand Slam: On June 17th in a game against the Marlins at Citi Field, he hit his second grand slam of the season. It came off Tommy Nance after he had just hit Francisco Lindor with a pitch to load the bases. Lindor had homered in the 1st inning. Pete's 19th HR came in a seven run Mets 6th inning in the 10-4 victory.
25th in South Florida, hitting two more HRs in a 5-3 Mets win.
On July 6th he had his first four hit day of the season, it came in Cincinnati in an 8-3 Mets win. After a mini-HR slump that lasted two weeks, he homered off the Marlins Braxton Garrett in a 5-4 Mets win at Citi Field. The Mets were down 4-3 in the 10th inning when Tomas Nido doubled to tie it & scored when Brandon Nimo reached on an error for the walk off win.
Before the All-Star game he had a big four game series at Wrigley Field, collecting just three hits but driving in six runs, as the Mets took two of three from the Cubs.
2022 All Star Game: After some contemplation, Alonso chose to participate in the HR derby. Alonso had won the two previous Derby's. Former Met pitching coach, now with the Nationals agreed to pitch to him. He did not win the competition.
Alonso & teammates Jeff McNeil, Edwin Diaz & Starling Marte all represented the Mets at the Mid-Summer Classic. Alonso was a reserve at first base to Paul Goldschmidt in the AL's 3-2 win at Dodger Stadium. In his only at bat he drew a walk off Nestor Cortes.
Subway Series: In the two game subway series sweep at Citi Field, Alonso drove in a run & collected three hits in the first game 6-3 win. The next he hit a solo HR in the Mets 3-2 win highlighted by Starling Marte's walk off base hit in the bottom of the 9th.
On August 13th, he had an RBI single in the bottom of the 1st inning, off Aaron Nola. It was the only run of the game as Jacob deGrom pitched six shutout innings, striking out ten Phillies in a 1-0 Mets win.
The Braves would take two of three in the Atlanta series, but New York still held a 3.5 game lead.
On August 19th, as the Mets moved up to Philadelphia, Alonso hit his 30th HR of the year, a three-run shot off Aaron Nola once again in the Mets 7-2 win. He now passed the 100 RBI mark for the second time in his career.
Walk Off Hit: The next night, the Mets were down to the Rockies 6-4 when Mark Canha tied the game up with am 8th inning double. In the bottom of the 9th, Brandon Nimmo walked & Starling Marte was hit by a pitch. With two outs, Alonso singled to left field off Daniel Bard, as Nimmo scored with the walk off run in the Mets 7-6 win.
NL Player of the Week: In September he hit 9 HRs & drove in 26 runs. Starting on September 13th, he drove in runs in eight straight games. From September 13th thru September 27th, he drove in 22 runs in a 13-game stretch winning the Player of the Week Award.
Benches Clear: On September 18th. Alonso was hit by a pitch from Pittsburgh's Johan Oviedo in the 1st inning of the Mets 7-3 win. Alonso exchanged words on his way to first, as benches cleared but order was restored.
Trivia: It was the 102nd time a Mets was hit by a pitch for the season. They would seta single season record getting plunked 112 times on the year. Alonso was hit by 12 pitches on the season.
Five RBI Day & Mets Single Season RBI Leader: On September 25th he matched his season high five RBIs in a 13-4 Met win. First, he hit a two run HR in the 4th inning, his 39th of the year. Later in the 8th, he cleared the bases with a three run double off the right field wall blowing the game open.
He set a single season Mets RBI record that day as well, passing the 124 mark previously held by Mike Piazza.
It was the second time in his career he reached that milestone, as he became the first Mets player to 40 or more HRs for a second time.
As the Mets got swept in a horrible series in Atlanta, losing their hold on first place, Alonso collected a hit in each game, as well as drew two walks but he did not HR or drive in any runs.
He closed out the regular season with two RBIs in the Mets 4-2 win over the Nationals on October 4th.
For 2022, Alonso came in second in the MVP voting, he led the league with 131 RBIs, he hit 40 HRs (second in the NL) with a career high 162 hits & career best .271 average.
He led the NL in intentional walks (16) & was second with nine sac flies. He also hit 27 doubles with 95 runs scored, 67 walks a .352 on base % & a .869 OPS. He struck out 128 times.
Defensively his defense has improved considerably at first base as well. He made eight errors in 1013 chances with a .992 fielding % playing 134 games at first base. His 92 assists were 3rd most in the NL.
In the second game Alonso hit a 5th inning lead off HR off Nick Martinez. He collected two hits in the Mets 7-3 win.
2023: The Mets gave Pete 14.5 million for 2023 during arbitration. The season started with high hopes for the team, but everything fell apart really fast. The Mets were done early on, they fell under .500 on May 7th for the first time. They got to three games above that mark, but on June 6th fell below .500 for good.
In his next game, on April 7th, Pete his 150th career HR, passing Carlos Beltran for sixth on the Mets all-time list, making him the second fasted player in MLB history to reach that mark that quickly in his career at 538 games. He homered the next day as well in the Mets second straight win over the Marlins at Citi Field.
In a ten-game stretch in mid-April Pete collected 15 hits with 5 HRs & 12 RBIs hitting .375.
On April 15th, Pete hit a solo HR off the A's Shintaro Fujinami in a 3-2 win at Oakland. The next day, Alonso's top of the 9th inning HR off Dany Jimenez tied up the game at three ach. The Mets won it in the 10th inning on a bases loaded walk.
He began May batting .257 which was his highest average for the remainder of the year. Pete
would hit HRs all season long, but he still struggled at the plate as just 54 of his 123 hits were singles.
would hit HRs all season long, but he still struggled at the plate as just 54 of his 123 hits were singles.
In mid-May from May 16th to May 19th, Alonso homered in four straight games. Pete would hit HRs in three straight games twice during the season as well. All but one of the HRs came with men on base, giving him nine RBIs in that stretch.
Walk Off HR: On May 17th, Alonso hit his 15th HR of the young season. In the bottom of the 10th inning, he came to bat with the Mets down 7-5. Alonso had Brandon Nimmo & Jeff McNeil on base as he hit a three-run game winning HR off Tampa's Pete Fairbanks.
On June 7th, he was hit on the wrist by a pitch from the Braves Charlie Morton. He was removed from the game & it was feared he would be out of action for a long time, luckily, he would miss just eleven days on the IL. He returned on June 18th & went 0-4 in a loss to the Cardinals. Three games later he would homer in an 11-1 at Houston.
Alonso began July with a pair of two run HRs in the first week then took almost three weeks to hit
another HR. In that time his average had fallen to a low of .203.
another HR. In that time his average had fallen to a low of .203.
Five RBI Games: In the July 25th Subway series matchup, Alonso hit two HRs off Domingo German, a 3rd inning three run shot & a 6th inning solo shot. He began the game with a 1st inning RBI single off Germain as well. The Mets won the game in the Bronx, 9-3 as Alonso drove in five runs.
Three days later on July 28th he had another multi-HR, five RBI fame in a 5-1 win over Washington at Citi Field. Alonso connected with a three-run shot off Mackenzie Gore & then a two-run shot off Rico Garcia. This was to be Max Scherzer's final win as a Mets pitcher as he was traded two days later.
Six RBI Game: On August 7th, in an 11-2 Mets win over the Cubs at Citi Field, Alonso had his fourth multi-HR game of the season driving in a season high run. In the 1st inning Pete hit a three-run shot off Drew Siley then hit another off Smiley in the 3rd inning with one runner on. Pete also collected three hits on the day.
Alonso hit HRs in three straight games, as he connected in each of the next two games with the Cubs as well, driving in ten runs in that three-game stretch.
From August 16th to August 20th Alonso hit HRs in four of five games driving in six runs. First, he homered in back-to-back games in wins over the Pirates & Cardinals, then two more in back-to-back games at St. Louis.
MLB History: Alonso became just the fifth player in MLB history to hit 40 or more HRs in his first five seasons. The first player to do it was former Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner.
On September 12th, he started a stretch of driving in runs in four straight games, hitting two HRs with nine RBIs. That week the Mets took three of four games in a series with the soon to be NL Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.
On September 27th, Pete collected four hits while hitting his 46th & final HR of the season, coming off Braxton Garrett in a 11-2 Mets win in the first game of a double header with the Marlins at Citi Field.
In 2023 he hit 46 HRs (3rd in the NL) with 118 RBIs (2nd in the NL). He batted just .217 with 123 hits 21 doubles two triples & 92 runs scored. Alonso fanned a career high 151 times. He led the NL in hit by pitches (21) drew 65 walks posting a poor .318 on base % with a .821 OPS.
The Mets finished the year at 75-87 in a disappointing fourth place. During the season they traded off players like Eduardo Escobar, Max Scherzer, Mark Canha & Justin Verlander. Alonso's name began to come up as well being a hot topic very un-popular with Mets fans.
From April 4th thru April 9th, Alonso hit four HRs with seven RBIs in a four-game span. On April 4th, the Mets entered the bottom of the 9th down 1-0 to the Tigers.
Alonso led off the inning with his second HR of the season tying up the game. Tyrone Taylor's RBI single won the game later that inning.
Multi- HR Game: On April 13th at Citi Field, Alonso had his first multi-HR game of the season, as he hit two solo shots, coming off the Royals Alec Marsh & Angel Zepa in an 11-7 loss to KC. He had also hit a HR the previous game to give him back-to-back HR games for the first time on the season.
Multi- Three RBI Game: On May 7th in St. Louis, his solo HR & two run double led the Mets to a 7-5 win, as he collected his third multi-three RBI game of the season.
On May 12th, he drove in two runs in a 4-3 win at Atlanta. On May 16th, Pete hit a solo HR off the Phils Taijuan Walker in a 6-5 win at Citizens Bank Park.
Back-to-Back HR Games: On May 22nd & May 24th, he had back-to-back HR games for the second time on the year. On May 22nd he homered off Cleveland's Triston McKenzie then the next game off the Giants Nick Avila, both in Mets losses.
But from June until the end of the season, the Mets were the best team in baseball going 65-29 winning a playoff spot with some exciting wins along the way.
overshadowed by Francisco Lindor but certainly helped the Mets run & would have a good post season to follow up.
He started out June hitting HRs against Arizona & Washington in the first four games of the month.
London Series: In the two-game series split in London, with the Phillies, Pete went 2-7 with a
walk, hit by pitch & BI. In the bottom of the 9th inning of the second game, with the Mets now having tied the game, Pete was hit by a pitch from Jose Alvarez with the bases loaded forcing in the go head run on the 6-5 win.
walk, hit by pitch & BI. In the bottom of the 9th inning of the second game, with the Mets now having tied the game, Pete was hit by a pitch from Jose Alvarez with the bases loaded forcing in the go head run on the 6-5 win.
RBIs in Four Straight Games: On June 17th, the next game, which was in Texas, Pete would
drive in two more runs with a three-hit game in a 14-2 Mets win.
drive in two more runs with a three-hit game in a 14-2 Mets win.
On June 18th, he came to bat in the top of the 9th inning of a 6-6 game facing Kirby Yates. With two on & one out, Pete doubled to left field bringing in J.D. Martinez in what was the games winning run. The next game he hit a two run HR in the 5-3 loss. In the three-game series at Arlington he collected six hits, a HR & four RBIs.
On July 23rd in the Bronx, Pete doubled to lead off the 6th inning of a 1-1 game. He then scored on Jeff McNeil's two run HR which led the way to the 3-2 win. The next night, Pete hit his 20th HR of the season, a two-run blast coming off Gerit Cole in the 12-2 Mets win. The Mets hit three HRs battering Cole for six runs on the evening.
Multi- HR Game: On August 8th in Colorado, he had his second multi-HR game of the season, hitting a pair of long balls off the Rockies Austin Gomber in a 9-1 Mets win. Pete also had three hits & three RBIs in the game. He now had 25 HRs on the season.
Multi-Four Hit/ Three RBI Game: On August 14th, Alonso had his only four hit game of the season. He hit his 26th HR of the year, doubled & hit a pair of singles in the 9-1 win over the A's at Citi Field.
30th HR: On August 30th, he hit his 30th HR of the season coming off the White Sox Davis Martin. It was the fourth straight season; Pete had reached the 30 HR mark. The next batter Jesse Winker also homered to go back-to-back with Pete in the 5-3 win.
Mets ALL Time Hit By Pitch Leader: On September 10th, he was hit by a pitch by the Jays Chris Bassitt, giving him 81 career hits by pitches, the most in franchise history passing teammate Brandon Nimmo. Alonso would reach 85 hit by pitches by the end of the season.
Multi- Five RBI Game: On September 17th, in a 10-1 win over the Nationals at Citi Field, Pete had his second five RBI game of the season. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, he hit a two-run single breaking a 1-1 tie giving the Mets a 3-1 lead.
Then in the bottom of the 6th, Pete hit a three run HR off Zach Brykcy. The win kept the Mets tied with Atlanta for the second wild card spot.
On September 19th at Citi Field, Alonso hit his 34th & final HR of the regular season. It came off
Taijuan Walker in the Mets 10-6 win, as they took three of four in the big series to remain in the playoff hunt.
Taijuan Walker in the Mets 10-6 win, as they took three of four in the big series to remain in the playoff hunt.
On September 22nd, he received a hugs standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd, as they showed their appreciation to him in what could have been his last at bat in the home ballpark as a Mets player. Pete acknowledged the crowd back.
It was with him again in Milwaukee in celebration, a week later when the Mets won the NLWC series after his 9th inning HR.
Quote- Pete Alonso: It's the playoff pumpkin, nothing is more fall than playoff baseball & pumpkins."
2024 Post Season- NLWC: In the NLWC series win over the Brewers, Alonso was 2-9 with three walks. In the Mets Game #1 win, Pete drew three walks, one intentional & scored on Jesse Winkers 2nd inning two run triple.
In the Game #2 loss he went 1-4.
In one of his biggest moments, Pete blasted a three run HR off Devin Williams giving the Mets the 3-2 lead. He silenced the Milwaukee crowd & led the way for the 4-2 Mets series clinching win. He blew another kiss as he rounded the bases.
It was another comeback win in an exciting week, where the Mets came back in the 9th inning, three runs down in Atlanta to clinch a playoff berth just four days earlier & came back from a run down in the 5th inning of the first game of this series scoring four runs in that 5th inning.
runs scored & three RBIs. He walked four times, hit a sac fly & struck out six times.
In the Mets 6-2 Game#1 win, Alonso was 0-4 with a sac fly in the Mets five run 8th inning.
HRs in Back-to-Back NLDS Games: In the Game #2 loss, he hit a solo HR off Jose Ruiz in the 6th inning, for his second post season HR.
In the Game #4 series clinching win at Citi Field, he doubled & drew a walk. In the top of the 9th inning, he walked for the third straight NLDS game. Then Pete surprised everyone by stealing second base. It was his first stolen base since August 7th, Pete stole just three bases on the season.
In the Game 1 loss at L.A., he went 0-3 with a walk. In the Mets 7-3 Game #2 win, he collected a single, then a 9th inning walk, scoring on Starling Marte's double.
Three Run HR & Four Runs Scored NLCS Game: In the Mets 12-6 Game #5 win at Citi Field, Alonso scored four runs, reaching base four times, with two hits a walk & hit by pitch. He started the scoring with a three-run 1st inning HR off Jack Flaherty. It was his third HR of the post season & ninth RBI.
In the bottom of the 4th, he was hit by a pitch from Brent Honeywell Jr. then scored on Jesse Winker's triple.
In the 8th, he led off with a single then later scored on Marte's single. In the next two games he was 1-8 with a walk & four strike outs.
Trivia: Alonso drew walks in eight of his last nine post season games, including a stretch of five in a row. He also struck out in 11 of 13 post seasons games, including ten straight.
Career Stats: In his six-year career, Pete has played in 846 games, hitting 226 HRs (third on the Mets all-time list). He has 781 hits (19th on Mets all-time list) 142 doubles (20th on Mets all-time list) 7 triples 493 runs scored (12th on Mets all tie list) & 586 RBIs (sixth on Mets all-time list).
He has drawn 358 walks 42 intentional walks, posted a .339 on base% .514 slugging % & a .854 OPS. Pete has struck out 822 times.
Family: Pete met his wife Haylee, a Boston native, while he was playing baseball in the Cape Cod League. They maintained a long-distance relationship during their college years.
In November 2021, Pete married his longtime girlfriend Haylee Renee Walsh in Tampa Florida. They honeymooned in Europe & got a chance to meet Pope Francis in Vatican City.
Quotes- Pete Alonso: "I got married to the woman of my dreams in front of God, our families & our friends".
The wedding was attended by many in the Mets family, including Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis, Dom Smith & Justin Dunn of the Seattle Mariners.
Hobbies: Pete enjoys hunting & fishing.
In 2024 for every HR he hit $1000 was donated to removing dogs from kill shelters & helping the, go to an eventual owner.
The Alonso Foundation also supports various local charities, local youth little league & school baseball programs, while helping provide tickets & financial support.
Comments