The New York Mets have a new home run king.
Pete Alonso hit a two-run blast off of Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider on Tuesday to extend New York’s lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning.
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The home run was the 253rd of his career, moving Alonso past a tie with franchise great Darryl Strawberry for the most in Mets history. Alonso broke the record in front of an appreciative home Citi Field crowd that celebrated the achievement with a standing ovation.
Strawberry went on to tally 335 home runs in a career that also spanned stints with the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees. But his 252 with the Mets previously stood as the franchise record.
Alonso, 30, re-signed with the Mets on a two-year, $54 million contract in the offseason and will presumably have plenty of opportunities to add to his now franchise-record home run tally.
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Alonso let the NL with 53 home runs in his rookie campaign in 2019. He’s remained one of baseball’s premier sluggers with 34-plus home runs in each season since that wasn’t shortened by COVID-19.
Tuesday’s home run was Alonso’s 27th of the season in his 118th game, putting him well on pace to eclipse 30 home runs again with 43 games remaining on New York’s schedule after Tuesday’s. The Mets will need all they can get from Alonso as they fight for a spot in the playoffs.
The Mets entered Tuesday’s game amid a seven-game losing streak and having lost 11 of their previous 12 games. The slump dropped them to 63-55, six games behind the first-place Phillies in the NL East. The remained in control of their playoff path with a two-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the final wild-card berth in the National League.
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