After the New York Mets thrilling 6-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, 43 games remain until the All-Star break. By the time that rolls around, there may not be many rookie records left for Pete Alonso to break.

Alonso came to bat in the eighth inning against Nationals reliever Tanner Rainey. Washington had just retaken the lead 5-4 with two runs in the top of the frame. The count went to 1-2. Pete mentioned in his post-game media session, “When I get into two strikes, it’s just pure one, and defensive mode.”

The next pitch was a 99-mph fastball. Alonso blasted it to left field, right towards the foul pole, and in fact over it. In a style reminiscent of Carlton Fisk, Alonso spoke to the baseball, imploring it to stay fair. He remarked to the media, “I talked to it and was like ‘Stay fair please’. And it listened.” There was a moment of uncertainty after the ball cleared the pole as the Nationals challenged the ruling on the field of a fair ball. It was quickly dismissed, and the Mets had tied the score at five. It was his fourth home run he has hit against the Nationals the most against any opponent.

It was Alonso’s 16th home run of the year, this one a 417-foot bomb that had an exit velocity of 122.2 mph. It was the seventh homer he has hit that was at least 110-mph. Further, it was his 11th home run he has hit in the seventh inning or later in a game, which is three more than anyone else in baseball.

And oh yeah, Alonso’s 16th home run broke the Mets franchise record for home runs by a rookie before the All-Star break. He had shared the record with Ron Swoboda who hit 15 before the break in 1965. Fifty-four years later, the record was broken by a 24-year-old prodigy named Peter Morgan Alonso.

A check of the calendar is now in order: it is only May 21st. Pete has seven weeks to add to his new mark. The 90th All-Star Game won’t be played until July 9 at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

The Mets all-time record for home runs by a rookie is 26 set by Darryl Strawberry in 1983. If Alonso stays healthy, it seems a foregone conclusion that record will be shattered by Pete as well.

After the game, Alonso was justifiably happy. He told the media,  “That’s really humbling, and really cool…not just that, all the success I’ve had justifies all the hard work I’ve put in to put myself in this position. (I’m) really grateful and humbled and thankful the Mets gave me a shot here from the get-go.”

Mets Manager Mickey Callaway was also impressed and commented, “He’s a great player, he’s a home run hitter. I haven’t been on a team with a pure home run hitter in a long time. This guy is one of those, he’s one of those throwback, Mark McGwire type guys…he’s unbelievable and he comes to play every day. He’s an unbelievable leader. He’s got what it takes.”

Alonso’s late-inning heroics are nothing new. His slash line between the seventh and ninth innings of games is a remarkable .380/.475/1.060/1.535. He has set standards for rookies that will be hard to top in years to come. He started off strong in setting records in his first full month in the Majors in April and continues his strong play into May. I was fortunate enough to write an article for MMO I like to call ‘Alonso’s April’ detailing the remarkable accomplishments this sensational rookie has made right from the start. That article can be found here.

Perhaps nothing speaks to Pete’s personality better than this. After the game was over, and after the shower and after the media horde had left, Alonso sat at his locker and took out his trusty notebook. In it, he detailed every at-bat he had in the game so he may use this information later in the season. There’s an old expression about how ‘the little things in life’ can make all the difference.

Pete Alonso has certainly made a difference for the Mets, one that has reached the history books.

At the end of the game, Alonso commented, “today was a hell of a win.”

Pete is one hell of a ballplayer.