EARNED IT

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The Mets lost game six of the NLCS to the Dodgers and now their season is officially over. Now is the time to reflect on what was a surprising and enjoyable season. Prior to the season Owner Steve Cohen along with new President of Baseball Ops David Stearns said they believed this team would be in Wild Card contention. And that’s exactly what happened, but times were bleak when the team struggled in May at 11 games under .500. 

One of the major talking points at that time is what was going to happen to First Baseman Pete Alonso. Alonso, a second round pick by the Mets in 2016 came up with a bang in 2019 with 53 homers, a record for rookies in MLB. Outside of 2020 (where teams played 60 games) Alonso has hit over 30 home runs each season. Currently Alonso ranks third in franchise history with 226 homers only trailing David Wright and Darryl Strawberry. 

Alonso hit 34 homers during the regular season, and at times in big situations did not get that big hit. But, Alonso redeemed himself in the playoffs with some big time hits. 

PETE ALONSO BIG HITS IN THE PLAYOFFS

WILD CARD G3 : Three run homer off Devin Williams in the ninth inning.

NLDS G3 : Solo homer off Aaron Nola

NLCS G4 : Single, stolen base, scored insurance run

NLCS G5 : Three run homer off of Jack Flaherty in first inning. 

Alonso has embraced being a Met and talks about it often in post game interviews. The fans have embraced him as well. Alonso, if he re-signs, could be the greatest homegrown player in franchise history. Pete has earned the contract.