Alonso Finds Silver Linings After Heartbreaking Loss

Pete Alonso got the Mets back in the game Monday with a three-run blast that moved him within one of Darryl Strawberry‘s franchise home run record. He brought the team within a run with an RBI single in the eighth.

“I was just on time today,” he said after going 4-for-5. “Body felt good and just felt in sync and on time today.”

He had a chance to be the walk-off hero in the ninth inning. Tie game, bases loaded, one out. (A game-ending grand slam to tie the record would have been neat.) Guardians reliever Cade Smith struck him out on six pitches, with Alonso swinging through three 97 mph fastballs. The Mets lost 7-6 in 10 innings.

“It’s a perfect night for Pete all the way to the last at-bat,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “You feel good about your chances in that situation with him driving the ball to the outfield, putting the ball in play. They threw fastballs by him there and they got him. But it was a pretty good night overall for Pete.”

Alonso recorded his first four-hit game since Aug. 14 of last season. The four RBIs upped his season total to 90, two more than he finished with in 2024 and the fifth time he’s hit that number in his seven-year career. He has excelled with runners in scoring position (.319/.420/.699 entering Monday) while the team (.232/.324/.404) has struggled.

Alonso was asked if it was tough to lose the way the Mets did, coming back from five runs down only to fall in extra innings.

“I think to be honest it would be more frustrating if we didn’t do anything,” he said. “If we just kinda laid down right there and if it was just they shut us out or we didn’t really score that many runs. I think it would be more frustrating that way.

“It was a good team comeback, but obviously we didn’t get the win. But there’s a lot of positives. I know we didn’t get the W, but there’s a lot of positives. I think it would be more concerning if we just kinda got blown out 5-0. But for us to kinda battle back and keep fighting that’s a lot of good signs.” He’s always trying to find the silver linings, as Anthony DiComo pointed out in a profile released on Monday.

Down 5-3 in the eighth, New York struck for four consecutive singles—Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, Alonso and Jeff McNeil—and then Mark Vientos tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

“We just kept passing the baton,” Alonso said. “Every guy just seemed to keep getting it to the next guy. And everyone was just having a lot of quality at-bats. When you’re in it like that as a team collectively, it’s awesome. It’s frustrating not to come away with the W, but a lot of good signs. A lot of good signs from all aspects.”

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