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Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor both had themselves a night in Los Angeles on Saturday. After being held to just one run across the opening two games of their four-game set against the Dodgers, the Mets bats finally exploded and Alonso and Lindor led the charge.

Alonso was the star of the show without any shadow of a doubt. As he built on his solo home run in Friday’s loss to the Dodgers. Alonso went 3-for-5 with two home runs, driving in five runs. In doing so, he is making an early case for the MVP crown in the National League.

The slugger started his offensive surge in the third inning when he crushed a slider from Walker Buehler for a two-run home run. It scored Starling Marte and gave the Mets a 5-4 lead. It was Alonso’s fourth home run in 14 career at-bats against Buehler, who was pulled from the game after giving up the homer.

The 401-foot monster by Alonso was terrific, but his best work came in the seventh. He launched a three-run homer to blow the game wide open. It was the hitter’s seventh home run in 11 career games at Dodger Stadium. It was also Alonso’s second multi-homer game of the season and the 13th of his career.

After a huge night in Los Angeles, the slugger is now tied for the National League-lead with 16 home runs. He’s also tied for the Major League-lead with 53 RBIs.

Furthermore, Alonso’s hot start at the plate has him on pace for some pretty impressive milestones if he can maintain his current trajectory. Firstly, he is on pace for 147 RBIs which would shatter franchise-record of 124. This record is currently shared by franchise greats Mike Piazza and David Wright.

If that isn’t great enough, Alonso has also now entered the Top 10 on the Mets’ all-time home run list. His 122 career home runs is tied with Kevin McReynolds for 10th place. If Alonso can continue to mash at his current pace, then he would rank sixth in Mets history by the end of the season. A spot currently held by Carlos Beltran with 149. Darryl Strawberry holds the record with 252.

There’s been a long line of standout performances from Alonso already this season, and the slugger gave his thoughts on why he’s enjoyed so much success against Buehler throughout his career.

“Well, because I made myself a promise in college,” Alonso said. “He ate my lunch when we were in college, he pitched really well against me and I didn’t like it and he pitched really well in some games that mattered, and I felt like if I ever saw him again in some games down the road I wasn’t going to let that happen.

“I just made a promise to myself that he wasn’t going to do the same thing that he did to me in college, because he really took my lunch money. The most important thing off him is seeing the ball because he has pretty violent delivery like a very, very quick and whippy arm, so for me it is just getting used to where his release point is and tracking the ball. Once I figured out where to see the ball, where it’s coming from, his release point, that’s one of the biggest reasons why I’ve had success.

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He further explained why he feels so comfortable in Los Angeles:

“The batter’s box (at Dodger Stadium) is great and I just feel really comfortable. It is a good backdrop and a good environment to hit. I mean I enjoy hitting here, it is really fun and when we play the Dodgers they are typically bigger games, bigger crowds and it’s nice to do well against a high-quality opponent. So, for me, it is coming here and being ready to compete against one of the better teams in the National League.”

As impressive as Alonso was on Saturday, it would be hard not to mention Lindor’s impact. After seeing his 10-game RBI streak snapped on Friday, Lindor started a new one in fine fashion by going yard on Buehler in the first inning to give the Mets the lead. This after going hitless following an incident which involved getting his finger slammed in a hotel door.

It was the shortstop’s ninth home run of the year and it travelled 391 feet over the right field wall. Lindor finished with two RBIs, he’s now tied for third in the NL with 38 RBI. It was also pleasing for everyone connected with the Mets that he didn’t appear to be restricted too much with that hurt finger.

Lindor has really elevated his game for the Mets this year with his ability to put balls into play. He also has displayed some power. As was shown last night via the moonshot he hit in the first inning.

Overall, it was a good night for the Mets who now have a chance to split the series against the Dodgers. It is clear a lot of their success this year can be attributed to just how good both Alonso and Lindor have been at the plate. It gives New York a lethal two-headed monster for hopefully years to come.