Why Pete Alonso's record-breaking moment means so much to Mets

New York Post

Watch Why Pete Alonso's record-breaking moment means so much to Mets - New York Post on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00We got to witness history last night. Pete Alonzo breaks Dallas Strawberry's all-time

00:08home run record for most home runs in a Mets uniform. And look, this was a record that was

00:15held for 37 years that you have to be absolutely impressed with. Dallas Strawberry, iconic Mets,

00:22number is retired, we know all that. But Pete Alonzo, what he did last night is he put himself

00:29into elite stratosphere. He put himself in company where nobody else is. He now stands alone as

00:35having the most home runs in Mets history. And he did it with a two-run blast for his 253rd home run

00:41and then added another home run later and there went over the Braves, his 254th. So he does it in

00:48style, great fashion. You got to love what he did there. And look, Strawberry's mark stood for 37

00:53years. That symbolized longevity and the power in Queens that he had over all this time. But

00:59records, they are meant to be broken. And Pete Alonzo did just that. You got to marvel at what

01:05he did, right? This record stood for 37 years, but Pete Alonzo does this in just his seventh season

01:10in a Mets uniform. That doesn't highlight just his elite home run production, but also just the

01:18consistency he's had with power since he came onto the scene in 2019 with the Mets. That is wildly

01:24impressive when you look at the short amount of time that he's done it. And I think for me,

01:29the moment cements him just not as a fan favorite because a lot of time he's been a fan favorite,

01:35right? He's been the polar bear. Fans love him. But now you become a generational Mets slugger.

01:41Now you go from fan favorite to generational Mets slugger and your name is immortalized forever

01:48in the team history books. That's something you got to love about what Pete Alonzo did. But now

01:54that this has happened, I think a lot of the talk and a lot of the question around this Mets team is

01:59going to be, what do they do with Pete Alonzo? Because last year in free agency was unsure what

02:04was going to happen to him. Would the Mets bring him back? Should they give him a long-term deal?

02:08He signs a two-year $54 million contract with the player option at the end of this season. And look,

02:15the way he's played this season and now breaking this record, there's no doubt that he is going

02:19to opt out. This is just a formality at this point. He's been consistent with the home runs. He's one of

02:26the few homegrown stars that the team has on this roster. He's embraced playing in New York. You got to

02:32love all that. And I think what you've seen from him this season is you've seen that he can still be

02:38a high-impact guy in the middle of the order. He can still hit for power. His batting average has

02:44been better this season. He's cut down on the strikeouts, something that you want to see. So

02:48the Mets right now, Steve Cohen knows this. David Stearns knows this. They can't let him walk.

02:54He's immortalized, as I said. He's now a generational Met. His name is in the history books alone

03:00as the franchise's all-time home run leader. You can't let that guy walk. Now, it's going to cost

03:06him a little bit more. Yeah, that's what the money is for. And Steve Cohen and company,

03:10they know exactly what they have to do. A lot of other teams would love to have Pete Alonzo.

03:14And you got to credit Pete in terms of bouncing back the way he has this season, not just to get

03:20this record, but as I said, to be consistent, to be a productive force in the Mets lineup at a high

03:27level. That's what you like to see out of player. That's what you like to see where they respond.

03:32Where, okay, my numbers have been down, but this is where I can respond. This is where I can get

03:38better. And I think if the Mets do not bring Alonzo back, which I don't see happening, they

03:44would really alienate the fan base here. The fan base here now loves him even more than they did

03:49before because he's another homegrown guy like Strawberry who now has his name immortalized in

03:55the record books. And listen, for the Mets fans, that conversation about keeping Pete Alonzo

04:00will definitely come at the end of the season. But I think what we have to do in times like these

04:05is make sure that we appreciate the moment and not just the memory of him hitting 253 and 254

04:12last night, but you think about the journey for him, right? You think about the 53 home run rookie

04:20season. You're obviously going to think about his greatest home run, which was the home run that

04:26basically won the series for the Mets against the Brewers last year. I mean, that's iconic now

04:30in Pete Alonzo lore. So you have to appreciate the journey for that. His durability that he's had,

04:37his willingness to play through aches and pains, his commitment to the team being one of the leaders

04:42in the clubhouse, right? He's embraced the city. He's loved playing near. He's loved the fans. He's

04:48loved saying, let's go Mets, right? Not everybody's built for New York, but Alonzo, especially the way he's

04:54bounced back this year has shown you that he is absolutely built for New York. And what I think

05:00we also have to appreciate is that we are watching one of the premier power hitters of this era,

05:06right? In his prime right now at 30 years old, wearing a Mets uniform. This is a guy who's done

05:11it. And this is a guy you can look at maybe a more hitter friendly park could probably hit more home

05:17runs. You know, since 2019, he's only behind Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber. And Kyle Schwarber now has

05:22one more home run than him since that time. So he's been one of the best power hitters of this

05:27era. And we have to appreciate that. And he's done it at city field, not a super hitter friendlies park,

05:33but he's done it there. And that really matters. And records like this, as we've seen for 37 years,

05:38right? It doesn't come around too often. It took 37 years, nearly four decades to break

05:43Dowell Strawberry's record. And when you see what Pete Alonzo did, he's special. He's a special player

05:49in a Mets uniform. He should be special to the Mets fans and the organization,

05:53and he should be in a Mets uniform for quite some time.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended