Alonso Blast Breaks Milwaukee
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Matthew Kennedy
6 Solid Innings For Quintina
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
The New York Mets have made the NLDS for the first time since 2015, when they went on to capture the National League Pennant. The Mets won their first ever Wild Card series in exciting fashion, executing a remarkable 9th inning comeback in the final game of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers. With the series on the line, the Mets trailed 2-0 with just 3 outs left to work with. Facing one of the game’s best closers of the 2020s in Devin Williams with their season on the line, the Mets rallied. Francisco Lindor, who had the only two hits for the Mets in the game, led off with a walk to get things started. Brandon Nimmo followed with a one out single to set the stage for Pete Alonso. As every Mets fan held their breath and expected the worst, ‘Polar Bear Pete’, who, in the midst of a slump and coming off the worst regular season of his career, delivered, blasting a three-run homer to put the Mets up 3-2. A HBP and stolen base from the recently acquired Jesse Winker, followed by an RBI-single from Starling Marte, gave the Mets an insurance run heading into the bottom of the 9th. Starter David Peterson, who had a big bounce back year, closed out the game in front of a dejected Milwaukee crowd who had to watch the Mets celebrate on their home field.
During the postgame celebration, Alonso was in the center of the action, getting mobbed by his teammates. Jose Ilglesias, who had told Alonso in the 8th inning he would hit a home run in his next at bat, embraced him, and said “thank you for listening.” That “thank you” came on the behalf of all Mets fans watching at home, who had just witnessed one of the most clutch moments in their team’s not-so-storied history.
For young Mets fans, it is one of, if not the most, exciting games they have ever seen. For a team that was under .500 until July, and out of playoff reach for the majority of the season, an NLDS appearance feels all the more special. Lindor has become a bonafide leader and has inspired hope that costly acquisitions can pay off, even for a team as unlucky as the Mets. If not for Shohei Ohtani’s incredible 50/50 year, Lindor would be taking home MVP honors, anchoring the defense at shortstop while being the most timely and successful hitter in the lineup. The former Guardian has had much success in the postseason, and he will need to lead the charge right off the bat if the Mets look to get past the MLB-best Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS.
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