The Mets’ seemingly-annual summer descent looks as though it was happening a bit earlier in 2019.
Not if Pete Alonso has anything to say about it, though.
After calling Tuesday night’s game a “must-win” following a shutout loss to the vocal Chris Paddack and San Diego Padres on Monday — Alonso went 3-for-5 with four RBI, including a go-ahead two-run bomb in the top-of-the-ninth to help secure a 7-6 win.
It was a win the Mets needed in the worst way after dropping four straight, which punctuated a 3-9 stretch over the last 12 games. Their offense was a no-show throughout, averaging a measly 2.3 runs per game.
Within the Mets’ lineup is plenty of experienced bats that could be called upon to help get the offense out of a funk.
Robinson Cano recorded his 2,500th career hit on Tuesday night, Michael Conforto is poised for a breakout year in 2019, and well-traveled bats like Todd Frazier and Wilson Ramos help accentuate the lineup.
But it’s Alonso who continues to step up for the Mets, the 24-year-old currently leading all rookies in Major League Baseball in at-bats, home runs, and RBI.
His exploits in the batter’s box have been impressive enough, but it’s his poise and leadership qualities that continue to build his reputation as one of New York’s best in baseball.
Alonso’s big night on Tuesday followed a dud against Paddack, the Padres rookie hurler who made it known that he’d be “coming for him,” after losing the NL Rookie of the Month award to the Mets slugger.
Paddack backed it up with a stellar outing, going 7.2 innings with 11 strikeouts. Two of those came against Alonso.
After being publically called out and then shown up, Alonso handled the situation as well as one possibly could.
“He said he wanted me and he pitched really well today,” Alonso told reporters after the game. “I know what he said and for me, it doesn’t sit well and for us as a team, it definitely sucks after this one… It kind of fired me up and it was going to be a good matchup and I didn’t answer the bell.”
Paddack could only watch from the dugout on Tuesday night while Alonso launched a 449-foot moonshot to give the Mets a ninth-inning lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Mets fans couldn’t draw up a better answer than that, especially when Alonso added in a bat-flip.
“Today was a real big character test for us and that was a really good team win,” Alonso said (h/t New York Post). “We had contributions from a lot of guys and I feel like we answered the bell today.”
“Us,” “we”.
The Mets not only have a star in the making in Alonso, but they also have their next clubhouse leader.
