The Mets enjoyed a bright and warm Sunday afternoon at Coors Field in style, with a cool and refreshing six-pack. No, not that type of six-pack.
There was no shortage of power from the Mets’ bats in their series finale with the lowly Rockies, as they smacked six homers in a game for the first time since 2021 en route to a 13-5 win and convincing road sweep. New York is now a season-high 18 games over the .500 mark, with a 4.5-game lead in the NL East.
From top to bottom, the Mets’ lineup produced some pop. The homer barrage began in the second inning, when Jeff McNeil won a 10-pitch at-bat against Rockies starter Chase Dollander by smacking a fastball to the right-field bullpen for a solo shot. Then, in the third, Pete Alonso flaunted his muscle with a two-run blast that tied him with David Wright for second place on the franchise’s all-time homers list (242).
McNeil and Alonso were thirsty for another round. The veteran utilityman crushed his second homer in the fourth — a towering three-run shot to the right-field seats — that pushed the Mets’ lead to a comfortable 8-0. Alonso then matched that dinger in the eighth with a two-run tank to left — his 17th of the season — that made the score 12-3 and gave him sole possesion of second place on the Mets’ list.
The other two homers — delivered by Bretty Baty in the seventh and Francisco Alvarez in the ninth — capped off a stellar weekend of offense for the Mets. They tallied 17 hits on Sunday, 39 across the three-game set, and reaffirmed their league status among the haves and the Rockies’ among the have-nots.
“He’s just swinging the bat well. He’s connecting on quality pitches in the zone and that allows him to hit the ball pull-side in the air,” Alonso said of McNeil’s power surge after the win. “It’s really cool [to surpass Wright], and for me, I just want to help the team win every single chance I get.
“My game is just driving the ball, doing what I can to score guys… Very blessed to do, but I really don’t think that’s going to settle in… We’re still in the middle of a season. Right now, it’s just focused on winning. But I don’t think [the record is] going to settle in until later on.”
McNeil, who collected three extra-base hits and logged the third multi-homer game of his career, also had some kind words for Alonso. And he couldn’t help but amusingly ask reporters how far away he is from catching up to Alonso in the race for the Mets’ power crown.
The exact number is 169. So, not close. But if McNeil is only concerned with the 2025 tally, he’s trailing Alonso by a more-reachable 11.
“He’s been pretty incredible this year. Locked-in every single at-bat,” McNeil said of Alonso. “Just seems like in big situations, he’s going to do some damage… He’s been here his entire career. He set the rookie home run record, he’s closing in on the Mets’ all-time record… Can’t wait to see him on top… How many am I away? Well, maybe one day. It’s fun to watch. I feel like he’s putting on a show every time he’s at the ballpark.”
Surprisingly, the Mets’ offensive explosion didn’t include contributions from everyone. Francisco Lindor was the only one to go hitless (0-for-5), and right underneath him, Brandon Nimmo finished 1-for-6. Juan Soto didn’t follow their lead, however — he actually reached base a career-high six times with three singles and walks apiece.
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