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

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.