MILWAUKEE — For a lot of the night time, it felt as if the Mets season was coming to an in depth. Just a few days after celebrating on the sector in Atlanta, of all locations, to make it to the Wild Card spherical towards the Milwaukee Brewers final October, the Mets gave the impression to be headed towards one more early offseason.
However within the prime of the ninth, there was hope and there was momentum. Most significantly, there have been runners on the corners with one out, and Pete Alonso coming to the plate to face nearer Devin Williams with the Mets down 2-0.
Howie Rose, the Mets’ Corridor-of-Fame play-by-play voice, mentioned what many have been pondering: “This may be his last Mets at-bat; he could make it his most memorable.”
Everybody is aware of what occurred subsequent: Alonso drove a 3-1 changeup over the correct area fence for a three-run homer, and the Mets went on to win 4-2. They eradicated the Brewers, then the Philadelphia Phillies, en path to their first NLCS look since 2015.
In what might have been his ultimate days with the one staff he had ever identified, the slugger hit arguably one of the vital house runs in franchise historical past final October.
“We’re almost on our way home,” mentioned Mets supervisor Carlos Mendoza. “Then before you know it, we’re spraying champagne all over because of Pete.”
This weekend, he’ll go into Milwaukee with an opportunity to make historical past yet again, solely two house runs shy of passing Darryl Strawberry for franchise lead. As soon as once more, the Mets season feels as if it’s on the brink, with the Mets having misplaced eight of their final 9 video games.
And as soon as once more, Alonso might be headed towards free company.
This time, there are nonetheless just a few extra months and quite a lot of baseball left to be performed earlier than the Polar Bear has to determine whether or not or not he’ll choose up his participant choice for 2026.
With the Mets in Milwaukee for a three-game collection towards the league-best Brewers, Alonso and others look again on his historic house run with the potential of one other two being hit over that yellow railing this weekend.
‘I BLACKED OUT’
It hadn’t been an ideal season for Alonso. There have been 172 strikeouts, the second-most of his profession, and a career-low .788 OPS. A homegrown hero who had loved immense reputation with the Mets since setting a file for house runs with 53 as a rookie in 2019, Alonso spent the season fielding questions on his future whereas being unable to provide as he did up to now.
He was 0-for-3 to that time within the sport.
Left-hander David Peterson was warming up on the mound within the bullpen. When the telephone rang, supervisor Carlos Mendoza informed bullpen coach Jose Rosado that Peterson would have the ninth. Not that he would have ninth if the Mets tied, or in the event that they went forward, Mendoza merely mentioned the inning belonged to Peterson.
“I used to be like, ‘Something is about to happen,’” Peterson said. “Just those words, I was like, ‘There’s one thing coming.’”
The Mets have been digging in, battling Williams and forcing him to throw all of his pitches. He threw eight to Francisco Lindor to guide off the inning with a stroll. Mark Vientos struck out on 4, and Brandon Nimmo went down 0-2 on two changeups earlier than hitting the third to proper area for a single.
“How else would you write this script?” Peterson mentioned.
These 15 pitches confirmed Alonso what he needed to work with.
“Watching the three guys hit in front of me, Devin already had a lot of work on him. A lot of quality at-bats, tough at-bats,” Alonso mentioned. “Even for me, he had to work. I made him work. He made some good pitches, and then had to come into the zone.”
Alonso swung, and related.
Peterson remembers pondering to himself the ball had an opportunity. Taylor remembers he was nonetheless pondering the season might be over till he noticed the trajectory of the ball. Alonso, nevertheless, remembers subsequent to nothing.
“I kind of just blacked out from excitement,” Alonso mentioned. “That was probably the most excited I’ve been for a team win.”
The Mets leapt from the dugout, one thing that doesn’t typically occur when a sport continues to be going, however everybody was so wanting to congratulate their first baseman. Dave Racaniello, one of many bullpen catchers, was leaping up and down behind the outfield wall, pumping his fist within the air.
“When it went over the fence, the entire bullpen erupted,” Peterson mentioned. “Then, I remember Rac looked at me and said, ‘We’ve still got work to do.’ It was funny because if you go back and look at the replay, he was one of the guys that was most ecstatic.”
Alonso doesn’t keep in mind rounding the bases, he doesn’t keep in mind being congratulated by Nimmo or hugged by Lindor at house plate. He barely remembers the fellows high-fiving him and chest-bumping him on the sector.
It was virtually as if he got here to as soon as he remembered the inning wasn’t over. By then, there have been two outs, Jesse Winker was on second and got here house on an RBI single by Starling Marte, dramatically smashing his helmet at house plate, punctuating a two-run lead.
“I just blacked out,” Alonso mentioned. “I saw Jesse slide and Gronk-spike his helmet, then it’s almost like I don’t remember anything, until I got the last out. Petey came in, threw the rock and that was pretty much it. It’s just kind of little flashes.”
Regardless of his personal heroics, it was Peterson that Alonso made an effort to acknowledge. A beginning pitcher the Mets used as a reliever within the postseason, Peters earned his first save within the sport.
“My adrenaline was up, probably about as high as it gets,” Peterson mentioned. “It’s funny, I knew, I was closing the game, I knew we had a chance and I was in a position to end the game for us to clinch and move on. But I didn’t realize it was my first save until after the game, when Pete gave me the ball and said, ‘Hey, congrats on your first save.’”
A real gesture by a real human.
‘HE DID IT!”
Rose immediately turned the eyes of the followers again in New York.
“It’s so pure, what happens in a situation like that,” Rose mentioned. “Unless you try to get too cute, and that moment didn’t call for cute. What happens is that ball goes over the wall, you have your visceral reaction, as I did, and then you just turn into a reporter, because it was such a monumental moment that you need — especially as a radio broadcaster — to document verbally everything you.”
A clip that immediately went viral, Rose gave Mets followers a name they’ll always remember.
“It’s gone! He did it! He did it! Pete Alonso, with the most memorable home run of his career,” Rose exclaimed, as Alonso circled the bases, giving a chef’s kiss movement to the group as his teammates leapt from the dugout.
It was performed over the audio system of the staff’s constitution aircraft earlier than they departed for Philadelphia. This second was one Alonso remembers vividly, touching his coronary heart as he recollects seeing Rose board the aircraft.
“Oh my god, hearing Howie’s call was really, really special,” Alonso mentioned. “It’s such an iconic call.”
It might be one of many ultimate calls of Bob Uecker’s profession, because the Brewers’ longtime play-by-play voice handed away in January. This, too, holds which means for Alonso.
“I know people are going to remember that because it was the last one,” Alonso mentioned. “It’s part of baseball history.”
‘SIGN THAT MAN’
Mets followers have made it clear that they need Alonso to be in orange and blue for all times. Alonso has mentioned he’d love to complete his profession with the Mets. Alonso has a participant choice for 2026 for $24 million, however with the best way he’s enjoying this season, he’s virtually assuredly going to decide out to strive for the long-term contract he sought final winter.
The timing of this house run chase is coming at an odd time. The Mets are in second place behind the Philadelphia Phillies within the NL East after spending a lot of the season on prime of the leaderboard. Coming off one in all their worst video games of the season, followers need to see somebody fired and held accountable for an underperforming roster.
One swing from Alonso might change every thing. It might change the momentum for the higher, change the vibes across the staff and at last, give followers one thing to cheer about after two weeks of booing their very own. Whether or not it occurs in Milwaukee or in New York, it gained’t change something about how the Mets really feel about Alonso.
His place in Mets historical past has already been cemented.
“He’s one of the heartbeats of this organization,” Peterson mentioned. “Being a homegrown man and having the influence that he’s had offensively and defensively, he means loads to his staff. It’s cool to see a man like that, particularly with the perspective that he has of eager to win, and caring a lot about his teammates. That makes it much more particular.
“It’s good to see a guy like that have all the success that he’s had, and that he’s going to have.”
Initially Printed: August 7, 2025 at 5:34 PM EDT
