Words can’t fully describe what happened last night during the 9th inning in Milwaukee.
The body language said it all. The emotion said it all.
Pete Alonso knew he hit the ball hard enough. He hoped he hit it far enough. The ball went into the stands in fair territory. It turned out to be a home run, and Alonso gave a chef’s kiss when he found out it was gone.
The Mets superstar hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the ninth inning. That moment was why the Mets took a 4-2 Game 3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night to win the wild-card series.
To understand the gravity of the moment, one must watch it on television or at American Family Field. Not watching it would be to do an injustice.
The Brewers were holding on to a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning after pinch-hitter Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick hit back-to-back home runs off Mets reliever Jose Butto to start the seventh inning. The Mets now had three outs to avoid elimination.
When Brewers closer Devin Williams walked Francisco Lindor to start the ninth, there was hope for the Mets. When a closer starts the inning with a leadoff walk, this can get into his head and give the team all the momentum in the world. It also creates nervous energy at the ballpark, which was the case with Brewers fans at their stadium.
But then Brandon Nimmo hit a single to move Lindor to third. That put Alonso at the plate. All eyes were on him. Was this the last at-bat for him as a New York Met with looming free agency?
Alonso knew the pressure. Understood the situation. It was now or never.
Mets fans hoped he worked out a walk or got a base hit to tie the game. But somehow and someway, he found a way to hit a home run when it was at least expected.
Understand Alonso has been brutal with runners in scoring position all season. Before Game 3, dating back to Sept. 9, he had four extra-base hits in 23 games. He struck out 74 times in the final two months of the season. In Game 2 of the Wild-Card series on Tuesday night, he even tripped on his own bat, preventing him from beating out a double play, which ended the first inning after he batted with runners at first and third with one out.
Talk about being due. Talk about having such hard luck. If someone was deserving of a moment like this, it’s Alonso.
He’s sometimes frustrating when he is a one-trick pony by relying on home runs. Sometimes, he hopes to work out a walk rather than try to hit for contact. But no one can ever question his commitment to the Mets. He wants to win and perform in the worst way. Seeing him struggle while Francisco Lindor and Jose Iglesias were performing couldn’t have been fun.
His struggles became mental for Alonso. How could it not be? He is a high-strung player who always overanalyzes his at-bats. It became paralysis by analysis. Alonso’s approach is one reason why Mets fans wouldn’t be sad if he left as a free agent. He has been a fodder for criticism all season.
You can understand how much this meant to him. Yes, it was a big moment for the team, but more so for him.
Mets fans can harbor bitterness. Just ask Carlos Beltran. He still gets grief for striking out looking at Adam Wainwright’s curveball to end Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series as the Cardinals celebrated their trip to the World Series at Shea Stadium.
Alonso knew the deal. He didn’t want to be remembered as the guy who ended the Mets season by striking out, even though it would have been two outs or hit into a double play that ended the game. He knew he had to hit a home run.
To say it was the biggest home run of his career is an understatement. Relief can’t even be a description here. It was a legacy moment.
Who knows how the rest of the postseason goes? We keep thinking that a much-needed home run can get him going and see him struggle. He may go back to scuffling by guessing at every pitch for the rest of the postseason, but no one can ever take Wednesday night’s moment from him.
Baseball is a cruel game, but it can also be rewarding, as Alonso found out after he kept sticking with it.
