The big night came for the polar bear. As part of the New York Mets’ 11-6 win against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night, Pete Alonso had the big game at the plate. The 2019 National League Rookie of the Year went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run to fuel an offense that busted the game open with a five-run sixth inning.
What stood out straightaway was Alonso using the opposite field. It started with his first at-bat in the opening frame against starter, Anibal Sanchez. Working a 2-1 count, Alonso split the gap in right-center for his first double of the night. Later, Alonso hit a ground-rule double down the right field line against Erick Fedde.
Sandwiched in between was his home run, which registered an exit velocity of 103.9 miles per hour. His first double was his hardest hit of the night at 106.5 MPH.
Coming into the night, Alonso had four opposite field hits on the season. The raw power is always going to produce a fair share of home runs, but the ability to hit with power to the opposite field is what will continue to see that OPS tick up. It’s now hitting .229/.347/.400 headed into Thursday.
Another thing to note is the fact that Alonso started his night with a net positive result. Coming in, Pete was 3-for-14 in the first inning this season and the double to right-center seemed to be a confidence springboard for the rest of the evening.
Here’s hoping the Mets continue to turn the corner offensively with Alonso helping to lead the charge. The 11-run total was much-needed for a team that was struggling to get the big hit.
