The passing of Davey Johnson shocked the baseball word Saturday, leading to many organization’s and players’ releasing statements on his behalf. Below is the statement released by Steve and Alex Cohen.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Davey Johnson. Davey’s 595 wins remain the most in franchise history, and his legacy is highlighted by him leading the 1986 team to a World Series championship. He led with a quiet confidence and unwavering belief in his team, always caring deeply for his players both on and off the field. He had a distinguished 13-year playing career, including winning two World Series titles with the Orioles. On behalf of our entire organization, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Davey’s family, friends, and all who were impacted by his remarkable life and career.” 

You can read more statements made by Johnson’s former Mets players here. 

Original Post

Davey Johnson, the winningest manager in New York Mets history, has passed away at the age of 82. Mets Team Vice President of Alumni Relations Jay Horwitz made the news of Johnson’s passing public on Saturday morning. Johnson is survived by his wife, Susan. 

Davey Johnson, The Winningest Manager in Mets History, Passes Away

Before stepping into the dugout of Shea Stadium as the Mets manager, Johnson played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball. He played with the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs. He played two seasons in Japan from 1975 to 1976 with the Yomuiri Giants. As a player, Johnson was a four-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glover, and helped the Orioles to two World Series Championships. In the 1969 World Series between the Orioles and Mets, Johnson made the last out as New York won their first championship. Two decades later, Johnson would manage the Mets to their second title. 

Johnson’s Managerial Career and the 1986 World Series Championship

Johnson got into coaching and was hired by the Mets and general manager Frank Cashen as the club’s manager in 1984. Johnson had managed the Mets’ minor league affiliates in Double-A and Triple-A from 1981 to 1983. During the rest of the decade and into the 1990 season, Johnson won 595 games as New York’s manager, a club record that still hasn’t been matched. In 1986, Johnson managed the Mets to 108 regular-season wins, still the most in Mets history, and a World Series championship. Two years later, in 1988, the Mets won 100 games and clinched the National League East Division championship. 

During Johnson’s tenure as Mets manager, the team won 90 or more games from 1984 to 1988. He was fired during the 1990 season after the team got off to a slow start amid high expectations. Johnson would go on to manage the Cincinnati Reds (1993-1995), Baltimore Orioles (1996-1997), Los Angeles Dodgers (1999-2000), and Washington Nationals (2011-2013). Johnson won 1,372 games as a manager and won 25 playoff games in six postseason appearances. He also managed Team USA at the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Johnson, along with Cashen, Darryl Strawberry, and Dwight Gooden, was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010. 

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Alonso started his career with a bang, driving in 120 RBIs. After the pandemic-shorted season in 2020, Alonso came up just short of the 100 mark in 2021 (94). He responded in a big way in 2022, setting a career-high by driving in 131 runs. He followed that up with a 118 RBI season in 2023 before seeing that figure drop to 88 last season. As mentioned, Alonso is on pace for around 131 RBIs this season, which would tie his career-high from the aforementioned 2022 year.

Alonso already broke one Mets’ franchise record this season, by mashing his 253rd, and 254th, homers of his Mets’ career, emerging as the Mets’ new home run king. Alonso is flying up the RBI board as well, as his 686 RBIs in his career ranks third most in franchise history.

He is still trailing Darryl Strawberry (733) and David Wright (970). If Alonso were to re-sign with the Mets longterm, both of those marks are attainable. Strawberry’s mark, health dependent, would likely be surpassed sometime early next season. Meanwhile, Wright’s franchise-leading 970 would likely be broken sometime in 2028 if the first baseman were to average 100 RBIs a season.

Regardless of the future, Alonso has already cemented himself as one of the most prolific offensive players in Mets’ franchise history. Hitting the 100 RBI plateau once again is just more evidence of that.

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Entering the Atlanta Braves series in Queens, the Mets were in free-fall mode. The slide looked to have been stopped thanks to an offensive explosion on Tuesday. Not to mention Pete Alonso making history.

However, Tuesday proved to be the exception rather than the recent rule.

Wednesday saw an all-time meltdown, before the Mets continued their never-ending slide by losing the finale, and the series, to Atlanta on Thursday.

As a result, New York has now lost three consecutive home series, and five straight series in total. That is tied for the longest such streak this season. Furthermore, the Mets are 2-13 over their last 15 games, which is the worst record in any 15-game span since May/June of 2018.

Not good.

And, on that note, let’s dive into another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down. It will be another largely negative one, but we’ll do our best to draw some positives if we can…

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

3 UP

NEW HOME RUN KING

Pete Alonso now stands alone in the annals of Mets history. The slugger launched a pair of home runs in the series opener on Tuesday to cement his place in forever. Alonso hit his 253rd career homer in the bottom of the third to officially surpass Darryl Strawberry for the most home runs in Mets franchise history. It took Alonso about a full season less to accomplish that significant milestone than Strawberry. Alonso also blasted home run No. 254 later on in the game to put an exclamation point on what was just a special night for everyone connected with the Mets. Alonso now stands alone as the best power hitter in the history of the franchise.

TURNING POINT

Francisco Lindor has been going through it as of late. The shortstop entered the series finale hitting just .158/.333/.211/.544 with one extra-base hit and six strikeouts over his last five games. A lot of his at-bats have also looked largely non-competitive recently. However, on Thursday, Lindor broke out offensively. He finished the night 3-for-4 with a home run, two singles, a stolen base and two runs scored. All in all, Lindor did all he could to help his team. Furthermore, Lindor’s 22nd home run of the year has him tied with Michael Conforto for eighth all-time on the Mets’ home run list. More importantly, though, the Mets will be hoping that Lindor can now build on his big night and go on an absolute tear the rest of the way.

SOLID RETURN

Paul Blackburn doesn’t have a concrete role with the team moving forward. However, he sure did help the Mets out on Wednesday night. Activated from the IL after six weeks out with a right shoulder impingement, Blackburn took on the role of a long man out of the bullpen. He gave his team five innings of relief, allowing two earned runs on one hit and one walk with three strikeouts. Not only did Blackburn somewhat stop the bleeding on just a bad night, he also saved the bullpen. A nice job all around.

Juan Soto by Roberto Carlo

3 DOWN

ALL-TIME CHOKE JOB

Wednesday night will go down as one of the worst losses of the year for the Mets. It could potentially be season-defining, too. Things started out so well. Coming off a big-time win the night before, the offense came out swinging and built an early 6-0 lead before the third inning. David Peterson also looked sharp on the mound. But, then, the wheels well and truly fell off. Peterson imploded, being shelled for six earned runs on five hits and five walks in just 3 1/3 innings. Reed Garrett then entered the game and allowed a grand slam, capping off an embarrassing nine-run fourth inning. In all, the Mets allowed 11 unanswered runs. The offense couldn’t get anything going from the third inning onwards, advancing just one runner into scoring position from the sixth onwards. Entering Thursday, the Mets had lost leads of four-plus runs in each of their last three games – the first time that has ever happened in franchise history.

FADING FAST

The Mets do not look like a playoff team right now, let alone a World Series contender, and this series against the Braves underlined that sobering reality. In the wake of losing a fifth consecutive series, New York has now blown nine leads in its last six games. The team is five games back of the Phillies for the NL East lead. The Mets are also just half a game ahead of the Cincinnati Reds for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Furthermore, they are just seven games over .500 – the lowest watermark since April 19. All in all, the Mets are finding new ways to lose every single night and, if this continues, the season may well get away from them quickly.

STARTING CONCERN

This team has a slew of problems right now. Chief among them is the continued failures of the starting rotation. Aside from Kodai Senga on Thursday, the starting pitching was not good in this series. Clay Holmes allowed five runs on six hits and five walks in his outing on Tuesday. David Peterson was also blown up in his start on Wednesday. But it is the lack of length that is really getting out of hand. Holmes pitched just 3 2/3 innings. Peterson lasted just 3 1/3 innings. And, as a result of Peterson’s early exit, the Mets officially went a full turn through the rotation without a single starter completing five innings. Senga did buck that trend on Thursday. However, the point remains that this team is getting killed by its rotation right now. Prior to Thursday, the Mets were getting fewer than five innings per game from their starters over 120 games. Plus, since June 13, and also prior to Thursday, Mets starters had put together just 227 innings – that’s the lowest total in all of baseball. That’s just not good enough, and it isn’t sustainable, either. Unless things change with this rotation, and fast, the Mets are doomed.

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Alonso became the New York Mets all-time home run king Tuesday with a 394-foot, line drive to right in the second inning of a 13-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves before 39,478 witnesses at Citi Field.

“To be honest, I didn’t think it had enough at first,” he told SNY in an on-field interview interrupted by a Gatorade shower from Nimmo and Brett Baty. “Right out of the box, I’m like, alright, I gotta go three, I guess. But thank god it carried out of the yard. That was really special.

“It was a beautiful, fleeting moment. I mean, it’s just a few seconds, but you live for those. You work for those. It’s all about wins. I’m just happy to do my part. I’m just really stoked that as a team we had a great team win today and hopefully we can do it again tomorrow.”

Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Alonso’s first career homer was on April 1, 2019, in a 7-3 win over the Marlins, and after that game, he got a shower as well. He was placed in a shopping cart in the clubhouse and showered with eggs, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, beer and shaving cream. Nimmo is one of three current Mets from that box score. (The others are Jeff McNeil and Edwin Díaz.)

Nimmo said Alonso’s record-breaking blast “looked … a lot like the first one he ever hit. I almost had like a deja vu … I just remember him just absolutely murdering the ball.” The home run Tuesday “just absolutely looked like it was shot out of a cannon and has a different sound to it.”

A reporter asked Mendoza what he’d remember about the night.

“Pete standing on the bench in the dugout with a huge smile on his face just saluting the crowd,” he said. “Like taking the helmet off and I had a perfect view there from Pete. Open arms. That’s a moment that I will never forget.”

Strawberry, now second on the Met home run list, addressed Alonso in a video.

“Listen, you have worked hard,” he said. “You have stood up in the pressure of New York City. You have played well. It is well-deserved. You are a homegrown player, and again, congratulations, and continue to have great success. All the best, buddy.”

“Growing up as a kid,” Alonso said, “you never really put yourself in the mind where you can potentially be a franchise leader one day in home runs. That just doesn’t really cross your mind. It’s just really special. What a blessing, what a gift it is to play this game at this level. What a gift it is to hit it at home in front of you guys, so thank you guys.”

Alonso said he has the ball and “it’s gonna go right in the man cave.” Asked if he’s curious how many home runs he might end up with as a Met, the potential free agent joked, “There’s only one way to find out.”

“I love the city of New York. I love this fan base. It’s been great, but again, the business is the business side if they choose to go another direction … It’s been great playing here. I hope it doesn’t end.”

The post Alonso Homer Evokes, Makes Memories appeared first on Metsmerized.

On a 1-0 count against Spencer Strider, Alonso hit a 1-0 pitch over the right-center field wall—his opposite field. It put the Mets up 5-1.

Watch the video here.

It took the Polar Bear seven seasons to claw his way to the top.

He burst onto the scene in 2019, earning his nickname in spring training after teammate Todd Frazier said he looked like a “big, damn polar bear,” and setting the MLB mark for rookie home runs with 53, one more than Aaron Judge hit two years earlier.

He obliterated the single-season Met record that year, too, which was 41—shared by Carlos Beltran and Todd Hundley. He also became the fourth Met to lead the league in home runs. Dave Kingman, Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson preceded him.

Pete Alonso (20) Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

“He’s watching film 24/7,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Tuesday with Alonso one homer shy of tying the record. “We could be on a flight, you walk by his seat and he’s got his iPad, his notebook and he’s watching the whole pitching staff from the team that we about to face. That says a lot.

“It could be after an 0-for-4 game or a tough loss and he’s on the plane and it’s the same routine.”

Mendoza, in his second season managing Alonso, said, “Sometimes we gotta tell him to back off a little bit because he’s taking 1,000 swings in the cages. He’s hitting early. It’s pretty impressive to see a guy that caliber continue to push so much.”

After hitting 16 homers in Covid-shortened 2020, Alonso added 37 in 2021. Three years into his career, Alonso was in the top 20 on the Mets list, passing, among others, Gary Carter (89), Bobby Bonilla (95) and Carlos Delgado (104).

He smashed 40 homers in 2022, becoming the first Met to hit 40 twice for the team. He finished that year in the top 10, jumping Jose Reyes (108), Ed Kranepool (118), Edgardo Alfonzo (120), Kevin McReynolds (122), Hundley (124), Lucas Duda (125) and Michael Conforto (132).

A 46-homer season in 2023 pushed him past Beltran and Kingman and into a fourth-place tie with Johnson at 192. The three Mets that remained above him all have their numbers retired by the team.

He passed Mike Piazza with No. 221 in Arizona last Aug. 29. He hurdled David Wright with No. 243 on June 8 in Colorado.

And, finally, Strawberry.

“Good for him—a homegrown player developed through the farm system just like us—to have great history here,” Strawberry told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com in June. “No one can ever take that away from you once you have done that, and that’s what baseball is all about.”

The Beatles sang Strawberry Fields Forever. Strawberry’s home run record lasted 37 years.

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It sure feels like this team has now hit rock bottom. If this isn’t rock bottom, then I dread to think what the next few weeks may have in store.
The Mets blew two leads on the way to being swept in Milwaukee by the Brewers over the weekend. It sure got ugly at times. As a result, New York has now lost seven straight and 11 of its last 12.

It sure seems like there is no end in sight for this current downward spiral.

Furthermore, the season is now in very real danger of slipping away. The Mets are currently 5.5 games behind the Phillies for the NL East lead, and just 1.5 games ahead of the Reds for the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

And, on that note, let’s recap all the bad (we’re going to struggle for positives this week) in another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

Aug 9, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Mets first base Pete Alonso (20) hits a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the second inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

3 UP

HISTORY IN THE MAKING

We witnessed some pretty significant history on Saturday. During another loss, Pete Alonso launched his 26th home run of the season. It was also the 252nd homer of his career. As a result, the slugger has now matched Darryl Strawberry‘s record for the most home runs in franchise history. Alonso now needs just one more long ball to become the Mets’ new standalone home run king. That’s a pretty special milestone. Furthermore, Alonso enjoyed a strong finish to the Milwaukee series. He also hit two doubles with one run scored and one RBI in the finale on Sunday.

SHOWING LIFE

Cedric Mullins has gotten off to a slow start in a Mets uniform. Entering Friday, he was just 1-for-17 (.058). However, the veteran did show some signs of improvement in Milwaukee. He put together a two-hit game on Saturday with one RBI and one walk. Then, on Sunday, Mullins launched his first home run as a Met. Hopefully, a strong finish to the weekend can translate to a strong finish to the season for Mullins. After all, this team needs all the offense it can get.

TIME FOR A BREATHER

The Mets are off on Monday. That may well be good news for everyone involved. After all, this has just been a brutal stretch, and the weekend in particular was tough to watch. Having absorbed gut punch after gut punch over the last several days, Monday’s off day could be the breather this team needs. The coaches need to decipher what buttons to press to end this slide. And the players need to hit the reset button and prepare to fight. Otherwise, this season could completely get away from the Mets over the next couple of weeks. This entire organization needs to wipe the slate clean and treat Monday as a fresh start.

Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

GUT PUNCH TIME

Man, the entire weekend in Milwaukee was crushing. It all started on Friday. The Mets raced out to an early lead before losing the game in extras, after Starling Marte was thrown out at home in the ninth. Saturday’s game, aside from Alonso’s history-making home run, was an ugly mess. But Sunday represented rock bottom. The Mets blew a five-run lead with Sean Manaea enduring another tough outing, while the new-look bullpen was unable to protect the lead. Milwaukee tied the game in the eighth inning, before Isaac Collins launched a walk-off home run off Edwin Díaz to complete the misery. The gut punch of a loss was New York’s seventh straight, matching the team’s longest losing streak of the season. This weekend officially marked the lowest ebb of the season for the Mets. So far, anyway.

NEED TO BE BETTER

Francisco Lindor is going through it right now. So is Brandon Nimmo. Both players are enduring tremendous struggles at the plate. Lindor went 0-for-12 with six strikeouts against the Brewers. He’s now without a hit in his last five games. As for Nimmo, the left fielder entered Sunday with 14 strikeouts in his last 25 at-bats. He didn’t strike out on Sunday, and he did draw two walks, but he also failed to record a hit for the sixth consecutive game. Perhaps most concerning is the fact that both Lindor and Nimmo are struggling to put together competitive at-bats over this stretch. That’s incredibly worrying this late into the season.

SAME OLD PROBLEMS

The Mets were hurt by the same old fatal flaws over the weekend. Starters, outside of David Peterson, seem incapable of going deep into games. The new-look bullpen is becoming ineffective again due to a high workload and relievers pitching in spots they shouldn’t be. Too many players are committing way too many brain-farts out in the field. The at-bats across the board are non-competitive. The runners in scoring position problem refuses to go away. The so-called Big Four at the top of the lineup is maddeningly inconsistent. And manager Carlos Mendoza has shown a tendency to make the wrong decision in the biggest moments. Just look at Friday. He kept Starling Marte in the game in the ninth, instead of getting Tyrone Taylor to pinch-run. We don’t know for sure, but there is a strong possibility that Taylor doesn’t get thrown out at home and the tying run scores.

This does not look like a playoff team right now, let alone a World Series contender. And, with a tough homestand now on deck, things could be about to get even worse for the Mets. Unless this team can fix its laundry list of issues and problems, it could be a very long winter in Queens.

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Both Alonso and Strawberry have some things in common. They were both drafted by the Mets, debuted three years later and won Rookie of the Year. They were both All-Stars, home run champions, and Home Run Derby winners. Both belted memorable homers in the playoffs.

Now, both sit at 252 home runs in a Mets uniform.

Alonso, who has 26 long balls this year, was asked about the record after he hit home run No. 250 in a win against the San Francisco Giants:

“The record is obviously something that is really special, and it’s meaningful, but right now, in the heat of it, I’m not too focused on that,” he said. “I’m just focused on wins and what I can help this team do to win each game. We’re in the thick of a playoff race right now. I’ll think of all the other stuff in the offseason or whenever I have time to.”

“I don’t want my record to stand,” Strawberry, 63, told Anthony DiComo of MLB.com in June after Alonso passed David Wright for second place on the franchise home run list. “I’m not a baseball player no more. I’m a man outside of baseball. This is for these guys. You’re happy when you see that, when you see a guy return after having so much he had to go through, and now he puts it all together. That’s fun.”

The Mets selected Alonso, 30, in the second round of the 2016 draft from the University of Florida. In three minor-league seasons he hit 59 homers before debuting on March 28, 2019 . His first home run came in his fourth game, a 7-3 victory over the Marlins. Keith Hernandez was in the television booth for the call.

Strawberry was the first overall pick of the 1980 draft out of Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. In four minor-league seasons with Mets affiliates before his debut, he hit 55 homers. He homered in his eighth game on May 16, 1983. Hernandez would join Strawberry on the Mets the following month after a trade with the Cardinals.

Alonso, 30, a five-time All-Star and two-time derby champ, led the majors in homers (53) in 2019, RBIs (131) in 2022 and has two top-1o MVP finishes.

Strawberry was a seven-time All-Star with the Mets and a derby co-champ in 1986 with Wally Joyner of the Angels. He led the National League in homers (39), slugging percentage (.545) and OPS (.911) in 1988 when he was second in MVP voting, one of his three top-10 MVP finishes with the Mets.

Strawberry’s No. 18 was retired by the Mets last year. Alonso’s No. 20 may very well join it one day.

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The New York Mets are in crisis mode after being swept by the Guardians at Citi Field. The offense looks completely lost. This team doesn’t look like a World Series contender right now. Not even close.

Furthermore, the Mets have now lost four straight, eight of nine, and each of their last three series. We’re now in August, and this team is going in the completely wrong direction.

Therefore, let’s recap all the bad and the few good points from the Cleveland series in another edition of 3 Up, 3 Down…

Pete Alonso (20) Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

3 UP

CLOSER TO HISTORY

Pete Alonso is just one home run away from becoming part of forever. The slugger went 4-for-5 with four RBIs in the series opener, including hitting his 251st career home run. As a result, Alonso is now on the precipice of accomplishing something incredibly special. Once he does match and then surpass Darryl Strawberry‘s franchise home run record, Alonso will cement his standing as the best power hitter in Mets history. It was just a shame he couldn’t tie the record before the home stand came to a close.

STEADYING THE SHIP

Clay Holmes has been on a downward spiral lately. He had allowed a total of nine earned runs and six walks in his previous four outings. However, in his latest start on Tuesday, Holmes got the train back on the tracks somewhat. The righty pitched well over five innings, allowing just two runs on three hits and two walks with six strikeouts. He shut down a dangerous Cleveland offense and had good command of all his pitches. Furthermore, Holmes looked like the pitcher he was earlier in the season. Hopefully, Tuesday’s start will act as a defining turning point in Holmes’ first season as a starter.

DOING THEIR JOBS

This series was a quiet success for the bullpen. Yes, the Mets got swept. But it wasn’t because of their relief pitching. In total, the bullpen allowed just three runs – one earned – in the three games against the Guardians. Five relievers combined to allow just two runs in the opener (not their fault either), while four relievers combined to allow just one run over four innings in the second game of the series. Then, in the series finale on Wednesday, Reed Garrett and Justin Hagenman joined forces to provide three innings of scoreless ball in relief. All in all, the bullpen is starting to look formidable. It was a strength, and not a weakness, in this series.

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

3 DOWN

GUT PUNCH LOSS

Certain losses throughout a 162-game season have the potential to be defining. File Monday’s heartbreaking crusher under that category. The Mets overcame a 5-0 deficit to get right back into the series opener, setting up what could have acted as a real turning point for this team. Instead, the offense wasted golden opportunities to score the winning run late in the game. Then, in extra innings, an inexcusable Brett Baty throwing error led to Cleveland scoring the winning runs. Baty’s fatal mistake, coupled with the offensive failures, set the tone for the remainder of the series. Some losses you don’t get up from, and this was one of them.

NO PULSE

This offense is lifeless right now. We’re in August and, unless something changes drastically, this lineup could doom the Mets’ chances of doing something special this year. As of now, this team doesn’t look like one capable of going on a deep postseason run. Heck, unless the offense fixes itself, maybe even reaching the playoffs could be in doubt. Because, to be brutally honest, we’re way past the point of panic time with this offense now. The lineup doomed the Mets in this series. After failing to drive the winning run home in the opener, the lineup proceeded to go 13 consecutive innings without a single hit. Only Juan Soto‘s ninth-inning home run prevented the Mets from being no-hit in the finale. That’s embarrassing.

Furthermore, the Mets have lost eight of their last nine games and are averaging just 3.8 runs per game over that stretch. They’ve also produced a .674 OPS since June 13 – the third-worst mark in all of baseball during that span. Plus, between June 22 and August 7, New York is hitting just .224 as a team – ranked dead last in all of baseball. All in all, this offense is an absolute abyss right now, and it could end up ensuring this season is a total bust.

ONE STEP BACK

Things were going swimmingly for Sean Manaea on Monday. The lefty cruised through five innings, allowing just two hits and needing just 57 pitches to do damage. However, hopes of Manaea going deep into the game for the first time this season were soon wiped out. The wheels fell off in the sixth, with Manaea allowing five runs on seven hits. And, just like that, Manaea’s night was over. Not only did the implosion lead to a series-defining loss, but no starter other than David Peterson has now finished the sixth inning since June 7.

The post 3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Sink To New Low Against Cleveland appeared first on Metsmerized.

Contradicting the later stages of the game, the first five innings were a breeze as both Sean Manaea and Slade Cecconi cruised through five easy scoreless innings. Both kept relatively low pitch counts, especially Manaea, who was at just 57 through five frames.

But as Mets fans know, the sixth inning has not been kind to Mets starters this year. It was no different in this game, as the sixth inning was nothing short of a nightmare. Manaea faced eight batters and only retired two of them. Steven Kwan led off with a single to right field before Ángel Martínez was hit by a pitch while attempting to bunt. José Ramírez then flied out to right, putting runners on the corners with one out. That’s when things started to get out of hand.

A Manaea wild pitch nearly brought home Kwan from third, but Kwan opted to stay at the base while Martínez advanced to second. Manaea then surrendered three straight hits, two singles and a three-run homer off the bat of Gabriel Arias, to put the Guardians ahead 5-0 after entering the inning in a scoreless tie. Manaea then struck out Nolan Jones before allowing a single to Brayan Rocchio, ending Manaea’s night.

Through five innings, it appeared a near certainty that Manea would become the first Mets starter not named David Peterson to complete six innings in almost two months, but a blowup of epic proportions saw him exit the game just one out shy of that mark. In all, he allowed five runs over 5 2/3 innings, watching his ERA balloon from 2.08 to 3.52.

Cleveland’s starter Cecconi was equally as strong as Manaea through five innings. He didn’t allow a run, even working out of a runner-on-second, no-out scenario in the fifth. Like Manaea, though, Cecconi also faltered in the sixth, but not to the same extent and not entirely by his own doing.

Francisco Lindor reached base to lead off the inning on a strikeout and wild pitch before Juan Soto grounded a ball that got by the second baseman for an error. With runners on first and third and no outs, Pete Alonso socked a three-run homer to left-center field to get the Mets back within two. It was the 251st home run of Alonso’s career, putting him just one behind Darryl Strawberry‘s club record. The Mets couldn’t add on further, however, as the next three batters went down in order.

Tyler Rogers and Reed Garrett each pitched a relatively easy scoreless inning in the seventh and eighth to keep the Mets within striking distance. The Mets were unable to get anything going in the seventh but jumped all over Hunter Gaddis in the eighth.

Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso, and Jeff McNeil started off the inning with four straight singles, scoring a run and loading up the bases with no outs. Mark Vientos hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game, and Cedric Mullins nearly gave the Mets the lead, but a great defensive play kept the game tied, and it stayed that way into the ninth.

Edwin Díaz faced immediate trouble in the top of the ninth as he allowed a leadoff single, a stolen base, and an advance to third on a throw that made it to center field. With the Guardians threatening to take the lead right back, Díaz—coming right off a National League Reliever of the Month award for July—induced a strikeout, a popup, and another strikeout to strand the runner at third and give the Mets a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the inning.

Francisco Alvarez started the bottom of the ninth with a single off Cade Smith, promptly being removed from the game so Tyrone Taylor could pinch-run for him. Brandon Nimmo struck out for the fourth consecutive plate appearance before Francisco Lindor ripped a line drive double into right field. Taylor was held up at third, though there’s a chance he could have made it home safely to win the game. Juan Soto was intentionally walked to load the bases, setting up Pete Alonso to put an end to one of the best games of his career. Alonso worked a 2-2 count but struck out on a high fastball before Jeff McNeil hit a soft liner to the shortstop to put a sudden end to the game-ending threat.

José Ramírez was intentionally walked in the top of the 10th to put runners on first and second with no outs and Ryan Helsley on the mound. Disaster ensued when David Fry dropped down a bunt and Brett Baty sailed the throw to second wide and into the outfield, scoring a run and putting runners on second and third with still nobody out. A sacrifice fly gave the Guardians a massive insurance run, putting them ahead 7-5 as the game turned over to the bottom of the inning.

The first two batters of the inning, Mark Vientos and Cedric Mullins, both hit the ball hard, but both at-bats resulted in outs. Brett Baty then singled home Jeff McNeil, the ghost runner, to get the Mets back within a run. However, with Francisco Alvarez having been removed from the game, Luis Torrens was next up to bat with the game on the line. Torrens took a couple of pitches before skying a fly ball to deep right field, very close to the wall, but it ultimately fell short and was caught for the final out.

One of the most exciting wins of the season quickly turned into one of the worst losses of the season. It is the Mets’ sixth loss in their last seven games as they are now 1.5 games out of first place in the National League East.

Player of the Game

Pete Alonso had a fantastic game despite not coming through with a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth. He went 4-for-5 with a three-run homer and three singles, totaling four RBIs on the night. With almost the entire top of the lineup slumping before the past few games, Alonso appears to be fully back.

On Deck

The Mets will continue their series with the Guardians Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. Clay Holmes (9-6, 3.45 ERA) will look to give the Mets a rare lengthy outing, while Logan Allen (7-9, 4.06 ERA), coming off a really good start against the Rockies, will take the mound for Cleveland. The game will be broadcast on SNY.

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Pete Alonso hit a solo home run to right-center field in Friday’s game against the Giants. With the home run, the 249th of his career, Alonso is now just three home runs away from tying Darryl Strawberry‘s Mets record, and four away from breaking it. Alonso has been in a pretty deep slump lately, but before long he’ll be the new home run leader in Mets history.

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Latest Mets News

The Mets (62-48) fell to the Giants (55-55) 4-3 in 10 innings Friday night. Ryan Helsley and Cedric Mullins made their Mets debuts during the game with Helsley striking out three in a tie game in the top of the ninth, and Mullins going 0-for-1 after coming into the game in the ninth to pinch hit.

Prior to Friday’s game, the Mets announced a few roster moves. The team announced the addition of the newest Met, Cedric Mullins, to the roster. The corresponding move sent Luisangel Acuña to Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets also announced that José Castillo was outrighted to Syracuse and Brandon Waddell is expected to begin a rehab assignment in Double-A on Saturday.

The Mets also signed lefty reliever Jefry Yan to a minor league deal. Yan has spent the year with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate, recording a dreadful 7.28 ERA in 27 appearances. However, he recorded a 1.71 ERA in 25 appearances in the Dominican Winter League.

Latest MLB News

The Yankees announced that they released starter and former Met Marcus Stroman. Stroman struggled mightily on the mound this year, recording a 6.23 ERA in nine starts. The Yankees also officially added David Bednar, Jake Bird, Camilo Doval and José Caballero to their roster.

In their Yankee debuts against the Marlins, Bird and Bednar combined to allow six runs in the seventh inning, blowing a 9-4 Yankees lead. Doval and Caballero also made their Yankee debuts. Caballero pinch ran, stole a base and scored a run in the top of the ninth before recording a brutal error in the bottom of the ninth, with Doval on the mound, to tie the game at 12. The Marlins wound up walking it off in the bottom of the ninth, winning 13-12.

Latest on MMO

In the latest MMO Roundtable, some of our writers give their grades for the Mets’ trade deadline.

Michael Mayer analyzes all of the trades the Mets made at the deadline.

Eitan Hain provides a deep dive into Cedric Mullins.

Rafael González breaks down the Mets in FanGraphs’ updated top 100 prospects.

On This Date in Mets History

1973: Cleon Jones became the first Met 1,000 hits for his career.

Born on This Date: Dae-Sung Koo (1969).

The post Morning Briefing: Alonso Three Homers Away from Strawberry’s Record appeared first on Metsmerized.