It wasn’t too long ago that things were looking pretty bleak for Pete Alonso.
The New York Mets first baseman had struggled mightily since his return to the lineup, one which was supposed to sideline him much longer than anticipated. Alonso had one of the worst stretches of his professional career. Something had to give, right?
And that something did at Fenway Park over the weekend, as there were glimpses of Alonso coming through the other side of this prolonged slump. Entering the weekend, Alonso had just six hits in the month and July and proceeded to go 5-for-11 with a triple and two doubles.
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But Alonso hadn’t hit a home run since July 6 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was nearly going on three weeks without seeing a ball leave the ballpark. He had participated in the Home Run Derby, played in the All-Star Game, and started 12 games for the Mets since his last dinger.
That changed in Tuesday’s 9-3 win over the New York Yankees, as Alonso launched two home runs. He helped catapult the Mets offense to victory, as his three-run home run in the top of the third inning proved to be the difference.
Alonso’s first-inning bloop single got the Mets on the board first. He followed that up with a three-run line drive home run that traveled 372 feet and had an exit velocity of 108.2 mph. And then, he would tag Domingo Germán for the second time in the top of the sixth and his 28th home run of the season traveled 431 feet and had an exit velocity of 109.8 mph.
In Alonso’s last four games, he’s now 8-for-14 with two doubles, a triple, two home runs and five RBIs. During that span, he has six batted balls of at least 100 mph and eight hard-hit balls.
He’s flipped a switch and changed the narrative on a season that’s been rather disappointing to this point. And while it may surprise some, it didn’t surprise Alonso because he knows the work that’s gone in both mentally and physically to get back to this point.
“I’m just really happy that I can finally see the fruits of my labor…I’m happy that I can help the team and impact us in a positive way tonight,” Alonso said following the win.
If the Mets want to avoid missing the playoffs altogether, then they’re going to need Alonso to positively impact the team for more nights to come. It’s not a coincidence that the team was playing its best baseball when he was and vice versa.
No matter what the Mets do come next Tuesday’s trade deadline, Alonso is the heart and soul of the team’s lineup. If this stretch is a sign of things to come for Alonso, then the Mets should climb aboard and ride this wave. Sure, they’ll need more than Alonso to get back into the Wild Card race, but his bat is a key piece that certainly doesn’t hurt.
