NY Mets: Pete Alonso’s top five highlights from the 2021 season

4. May 2: Alonso rips a three-run double against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday Night Baseball

Just a couple of days before this clutch hit from Alonso, the Mets had gotten into a scuffle with the Phillies when José Alvarado had incited a benches-clearing incident after yelling at Smith following a strikeout. The next day, Alonso had introduced a mysterious new character named Donnie Stevenson in a postgame press conference after a narrow 5-4 win over the Phils. Tensions were high on both sides for Sunday’s game, which somehow ended up being more eventful than the two previous games combined.

Coming into the eighth inning of the finale matchup, the Mets were down 4-2. After a leadoff homer by Kevin Pillar, an RBI single from José Peraza (assisted by a mad dash from noted “Caballo Loco” Jonathan Villar), and a bases-loaded walk from Alvarado to Michael Conforto, the Mets found themselves up 5-4. Enter reliever David Hale. Enter Alonso. The stage was set for the Mets to add on, and add on they did.

Hale’s first pitch to Alonso didn’t have a chance. The slugger smacked a fastball into the right-center-field gap to score all three runs and put the Mets up 8-4, capping a spirited six-run inning for the Amazins. Alonso added a bit of a flourish to his clutch hit with some emphatic flexing at second base, which based on the circumstances seemed well-warranted. The Mets ended up needing all of those runs after the Phillies nearly came back in the ninth, eking out an 8-7 win. In a season that frequently lacked hits with that level of swagger, the Alonso show earned rave reviews that night.

3. July 4: Alonso belts a game-tying homer vs. Aroldis Chapman to spark a six-run Mets rally

Thanks to a rainout on July 2, the first Subway Series of 2021 ended with a doubleheader on July 4. In that contest, the Mets started the game by knocking New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole out of the game in the fourth inning, but their own hurler Marcus Stroman didn’t fare much better, allowing five runs (three earned) over five innings. After a back-and-forth battle led to the Yankees taking a 5-4 lead into the top of the seventh inning (the final scheduled frame in the game), Chapman entered looking for the save.

The Mets’ first batter up was Alonso, who to that point had gone 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the game. He saw three fastballs to start the at-bat, swinging through high heat for strike two. From there, Chapman opted to throw a slider down to Alonso, who historically has struggled with hitting high fastballs and tends to feast on pitches down in the zone. Alonso responded by playing to his career strengths and golfing a slider over the left-field fence to tie the game at 5.

The Mets poured it on from there, scoring five more times in the inning thanks to a two-run double from Peraza, a two-run single from Brandon Nimmo, and an RBI single from Francisco Lindor. Seth Lugo tidily wrapped up the game in the bottom of the seventh with a 1-2-3 frame, sealing the Mets’ wild 10-5 win and delighting the Flushing Faithful who had made the trip to the Bronx that day.

2. Aug. 12: Alonso’s walk-off homer helps the Mets sweep the Washington Nationals

Despite hitting 53 homers as a rookie in 2019, Alonso did not hit his first career walk-off homer until Sept. 3, 2020, against the Yankees. His second career walk-off blast came against the Nationals this season, capping a doubleheader sweep that nearly slipped away from the Amazins. The Mets entered the top of the seventh inning with a 4-1 lead, but Trevor May and Jeurys Familia combined to allow three runs, all of whom scored with noted Mets killer Andrew Stevenson at the plate (Stevenson hit .375 against the Mets in 2021 in 24 at-bats, compared to .229 overall).

The excitement of an impending sweep quickly left Citi Field like a deflated balloon, though the game was still tied. Newly minted closer Kyle Finnegan was set to face Jeff McNeil, Alonso, and Smith in the bottom half of the seventh. McNeil didn’t cause him any trouble, grounding out to first. That sent Alonso to the plate, who saw two balls out of the strike zone to begin the at-bat. From there, Finnegan gave Alonso a fastball he could handle, and Alonso handled it.

The Polar Bear connected for a high drive to left field that seemed to stay in the air for an eternity. Fans watching in the ballpark and at home held their breath, wondering if it could muster its way over the fence and send the Mets to victory. Stevenson, manning left field, timed his leap well at the wall, but the ball had too much carry and sailed into the M&M party deck. Excitement ensued as Alonso was pelted with candy and had his shirt ripped off, and the Citi Field faithful went home happy.

1. July 12: Alonso wins second straight Home Run Derby, becoming the first Mets player to accomplish that feat

While this accomplishment didn’t impact an actual Mets game this year, it was the moment in 2021 when Alonso’s showmanship was at its finest. After becoming the second rookie ever to win the Derby in 2019 (Aaron Judge also won it in his 2017 rookie season), Alonso was back in Derby territory this season, set to match up against Salvador Perez in the first round. Though two-way phenomenon Shohei Ohtani, who was the No. 1 overall seed in the Derby, garnered most of the spotlight heading into the event, Alonso snatched back the spotlight in a hurry.

Alonso set an unbeatable standard in his first round, crushing 35 home runs. Perez was nearly up to the challenge, launching 28 home runs in response, but the Polar Bear moved on to the next round with relative ease. He next matched up with Juan Soto, who appeared to be worn out from his first-round face-off with Ohtani and hit only (only) 15 home runs in his round. Alonso outdid him with no trouble, securing his spot in the finale without even needing his bonus time. From there, he dispatched of Trey Mancini in the final round, sending 23 home runs into the Denver sky to lock down a “Re-Pete” victory.

Alonso’s Derby victory was his top highlight of the year not just because of what he did, but how he did it. While at the plate at Coors Field, Alonso was bopping his head to his music between pitches, practically dancing out of the batter’s box. During one timeout, which clearly wasn’t taken due to exhaustion, he gestured to the roaring crowd and implored them to cheer louder, putting his hands to his ear and egging them on. The Home Run Derby is all about putting on a show, and Alonso proved once again that no one, in that setting, can do it better than him.

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Alonso’s hitting highlights were among the bright spots in the Mets’ underwhelming 2021 season. Fans of the blue and orange can only hope that he has many more where those bases-clearing doubles, home runs, and exuberant celebrations came from.