It seems that the Polar Bear was hungry on Wednesday evening. 

Pete Alonso, fan favorite and much-needed power bat usually residing right smack in the middle of the Mets lineup, silenced the critics on Wednesday against the Athletics, going 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs and a home run in the Mets’ 9-1 victory.

His first hit came in the bottom half of the second, when he punched a base hit off the handle of the bat right over top of the shortstop, eventually leading to the Mets’ first run. 

In the fourth, the righty first baseman did what he does best, smacking his 26th home run of the season off the facade of the second deck in left field, 416 polar bear-sized feet away.


“Every single day I come ready to go. For me that’s the one thing I take pride in. For me, I want to impact the game in a positive way every day. For me, I work towards that and I hold myself to a high standard and I want to execute. I want to win,” Alonso said.

Pete, who is winding down on his last few months before free agency, is having a slightly down year compared to his previous campaigns. 

According to Baseball Savant, his batting run value is in the 65th percentile this year, down 18 points from 2023.

His bat speed, expected slugging, barrel percentage, and hard-hit percentage all rank in the top third of the league, which is on par with his powerful history. However, his expected batting average, average exit velocity, and strikeout percentage are all in the lower third of the league.

Pete Alonso, photo by Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Alonso’s largest struggle this year has been against the breaking ball, on which he is hitting a measly .164 out of a 677-pitch sample size. That’s down from previous years and has been his weakness, contributing to his high strikeout percentage. 

With the Mets sitting two games outside of the third wild card spot, Pete’s .840 OPS since the All-Star break is a welcome sign for fans who would love to see competitive games continue into September (and hopefully October).

“He’s one of the best power hitters in the game. Whenever Pete is extremely hot, he can be very scary. We want Pete to continue to be him and not try to be somebody else,” Francisco Lindor said.

The A’s, Marlins, and Orioles are all in town over the next week, and the wild-card competitor Padres are looming on the horizon. This is the time for the Polar Bear to continue to attack at the plate and step up as a leader for a Mets team that has looked a bit dire over the last few series.

Season’s not over yet, folks. Buckle up.