Mets' Pete Alonso picks a bad time for a power outage
Pete Alonso #20 of the Mets breaks his bat hitting a single in the seventh inning against the Milwaukee Brewers during Game Two of the Wild Card Series at American Family Field on October 02, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Credit: Getty Images
MILWAUKEE
For the very first time in their adversity-riddled season, the Mets faced elimination in Thursday night’s winner-take-all Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Brewers.
But in the case of Pete Alonso, specifically, the term do-or-die never felt more appropriate.
As the Mets stared into the October abyss, Alonso was dealing with the potential end to his Flushing career, as he’ll be a free agent not long after this playoff run concludes.
This time of year is stressful enough, particularly with the Mets barely squeezing their way into the wild-card round.
But Alonso carrying extra emotional baggage — the possibility of this being his final days wearing blue-and-orange, the only major-league uniform he’s ever known — is heavy stuff. Some might go as far as to say the psychological weight could even slow down a slugger’s bat, and Alonso’s numbers present strong evidence to support such a theory.
Heading into Game 3, Alonso’s home run drought had stretched to 49 plate appearances since the last time he went deep on Sept. 19. He was batting .132 (5-for-38) in that span — all singles — with 13 strikeouts and one RBI.
Alonso’s subpar walk year, in all likelihood, already had seriously damaged his free-agent status, even with master negotiator Scott Boras representing him. The one Hail Mary he had left was a big October, and Alonso repeatedly coming up small wasn’t helping anyone — not his asking price and especially not the Mets, who could have blown open Wednesday’s Game 2 with a timely Alonso hit rather than stumble late in a 5-3 loss.
Shortly after that series-tying loss, Alonso was asked about perhaps taking the field for the last time in a Mets uniform. The question was the elephant in the clubhouse, taking up residence in his locker, first in the waning days of the regular season, then once the playoffs began. But it loomed large Thursday night, growing in stature once the Mets’ October teetered on the brink.
“I really haven’t thought of it,” Alonso said. “Because my whole focus is just going deep in the playoffs. I don’t really want to think about that at all. I want to think about winning the game [Thursday].”
We understand Alonso’s desire to steer the conversation away from his own free-agent chatter. But there’s zero chance the topic hasn’t occupied significant head space for Alonso, no doubt picking up momentum after the final game at Citi Field on Sept. 22.
His first crack at free agency (he’ll be 30 in December) leaves open the possibility that Alonso will bolt the team that made him a second-round draft pick in 2016. The Mets also disregarded any service-time implications when then-general manager Brodie Van Wagenen made him the Opening Day first baseman three years later.
All Alonso has done since then is hit more homers (226) than anyone not named Aaron Judge (232) and become one of the Mets’ most popular players, rising to his Polar Bear prominence through that mighty swing (and a pair of Home Run Derby titles on the national stage).
Before the Mets became a playoff-caliber team again, with their second postseason appearance in three years, Alonso was the main gate attraction, aside from the nights Jacob deGrom took the mound.
This October, however, Alonso’s Flushing legacy is showing cracks. The Mets were victimized Wednesday by three Milwaukee homers, including a pair by 20-year-old phenom Jackson Chourio, who twice tied the score with leadoff blasts — one in the first inning, the other to open the eighth. Meanwhile, the best Alonso could muster was a broken-bat single, and the Mets had yet to clear the fences in this Wild Card Series.
“Look, when you’re facing elite pitching staffs, it’s not going to be easy to hit balls out of the ballpark,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Pete, he’s a power hitter, and he’s just one swing away from hitting a big one. He’s got another opportunity [Thursday], and he’ll step up.”
Alonso’s most notable use of a bat during Wednesday’s loss came in the first inning, when he somehow stepped on it, then fell to all fours as he tried to beat out a double-play grounder to shortstop. With runners at first and third, Alonso initially had a decent shot at edging the throw — Willy Adames dived to make the grab, then bobbled the ball before starting the relay. But it turned into a futile effort for Alonso once he sprawled on the ground, and the Mets were denied a key run in a tight game.
“It’s never happened in my career, ever,” he said. “I know it’s just weird. But hey, listen, it sucks”
Not the way Alonso wants to be remembered if he ends up signing elsewhere in the offseason. But if the Mets don’t survive the Wild Card Series — they were the only team not to sweep this round Wednesday — that image of Alonso trying to crawl up the basepath rather than going into a home run trot is going to be tough to shake.
On Thursday night, Alonso was down to perhaps his final opportunity to change the narrative, to flex that familiar muscle memory and deliver a memorable blast that will be treasured in Mets playoff history for years to come. The Mets never needed their slugging first baseman to launch one more than in Game 3, and his legacy was riding on it, too.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.