Sole possession of the all-time New York Mets home run record will soon belong to Pete Alonso. He blasted one on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers, giving him 252 for his career in a tie with Darryl Strawberry. The Mets play their next 5 games at Citi Field and one in Williamsport next Sunday as part of the Little League Classic. Citi Field is the ideal place to see this happen. More importantly, it needs to happen in a Mets win.
Fans are already only halfway in the door with how much they care about the record. It’s an individual achievement for a number not even held in all that high of regard. Alonso’s biggest fans will revel in the achievement, as they should. But for the common fan who was there before Strawberry, during, and after, it’ll be a hollow feeling to see a record broken in the 8th inning of a 9-2 Mets loss against the Atlanta Braves.
Pete Alonso is on the verge of Mets history and hopefully the next HR he hits impacts the game
Alonso is undoubtedly the best slugger in club history. He’s one of a kind for the Mets. This is a franchise that has favored pitching over hitting for the majority of its history. A rookie home run record set in 2019 had every fan pounding their chest with delight. Alonso wasn’t much like David Wright, but just a year after the Captain played his last game, there was a new homegrown face of the franchise to fall in love with.
This season has been a curious one for Alonso. He started off with MVP numbers, dipped, and has been on shaky footing for several months. He was one of the biggest culprits in July, batting only .141 for the month with 4 home runs and 16 RBI. Clutch hitting has been an element to his game this season that he didn’t have at all in 2024. Even in the valleys of his 2025 season, it has almost been forgivable because of how well he has produced runs.
Becoming the all-time Mets home run leader both for a single season and in a career is a wonderful individual achievement for Alonso. When it happens, let it matter as a standalone dong. Don’t be a meatball grooved in there by someone’s long man who just needed the work in a Mets blowout loss.
For Pete’s sake, let 253 belongs on a highlight reel for the team impact.