Robinson Cano is one hit shy of reaching 2,500 for his career

Robinson Cano ripped a single to left-center in the first inning of the Mets’ 1-0 win over Cincinnati on Thursday at Citi Field for hit No. 2,499. Only 100 players in major-league history have reached hit No. 2,500.

The Mets will open a six-game trip in Milwaukee on Friday night, so Cano will try to reach that milestone on the road. Whenever it comes, you should know he is going to appreciate the moment.

“It means a lot,” said Cano, who’s hitting .351 in his last 15 games with a plate appearance. “It’s something that you dream as a kid, to be able to play in the big leagues. You never dream to get this kind of milestone, but just come out and be able to be a good player and play for a long time.

“To be able to be close, to need one more hit to accomplish it, I just want to look back and see all the hard work that I put into my career. It’s something that keeps motivating me more and more and more to go out and keep doing everything I’ve got.”

So is he thinking about becoming Mr. 3,000?

“No, that’s a lot of hits left,” Cano said. “It sounds easy, huh?”

Alonso honored

Pete Alonso’s impressive start resulted in his being named the NL Rookie of the Month for April on Thursday. The first baseman matched the Mets’ record for homers before May 1 with nine. His 26 RBIs tied the franchise record and represented the third-highest total in major-league history by a rookie through April. “It just clears up a lot of things being successful,” Alonso said. “I work really hard at my craft. It justifies all the hard work I’ve done throughout my life. I’m really thankful.”

With Steven Marcus