Pete Alonso continues to come up clutch for Mets in series opener vs. Rockies

There’s something special brewing with Pete Alonso this year.

The Mets slugger is having the best start of his career. Entering Friday’s game against the Rockies, Alonso was batting .298 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI to go along with a .972 OPS. He leads the team in all those categories and they needed that production against Colorado in the series opener.

Down 1-0 in the seventh inning, the Mets had already squandered multiple chances to put up runs. No matter how many batters were on base, the clutch hit would not come, but Alonso provided the first with a two-run double that put the Mets in front.

Before that hit, the Mets were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the game.

“We didn’t have good at-bats for the first 6-7 innings before Pete finally got that two-run double,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of the team’s struggles after the game. “Our at-bats with runners in scoring position weren’t good.”

Mendoza said his players were “in between” at the plate and just need to continue to work to break out of their collective slump.

But that slump hasn’t hit Alonso much this year. After he went into his first downturn in May, Alonso has turned it on in June, driving in 14 runs in six games this month. With his two-run double, his batting average with RISP rose to .358 while the rest of the team, at that point, was just .194 on the season.

When asked how he has seemingly stayed “immune” to the RISP slump of his teammates, Alonso downplayed what he’s done.

“No one is immune to anything. This is the big leagues,” he said. “For me, this is one of the things, I just want to win and stick to my plan, that’s really it. Stay disciplined in that because when guys are on base, pitchers are going to try and find another level, go to a dark place and do whatever they can to get a guy out. Whoever is at the dish, whether it’s me or other people.

“For me, I want to combat that with owning my strikezone, owning my process and holding on to my mechanics as much as I possibly can.”

But Alonso showed how much he’s meant to the 2025 Mets on Friday and not just at the plate. His throw home to gun down the runner when the score was still 1-0 was crucial for the Mets’ comeback, and his base-running to score from first on Francisco Lindor’s pinch-hit double in the ninth, while also sliding around catcher Hunter Goodman’s tag, helped lift the Mets to their 40th win of the season.

“Pete has meant a lot,” Lindor said. “Leading the team in batting average, OPS, he’s been tremendous for us. He makes us all better. He’s special. The defensive play he made today, running the bases the right way. He’s turning himself into a well-rounded player. He’s a very special player and we’re glad he’s on our team.”

After Friday’s performance, Alonso has added to his league-lead in doubles (20) and RBI (57) while continuing to lead the team in just about every offensive category. Lindor was asked if he’s seen a season like this from Alonso before, and the shortstop said he hasn’t.

“I think this is going to be the best year of his career, God willing,” he said. “He’s going to keep up doing what he’s doing, I think he’s going to end up with one of the best Mets seasons ever, probably.”

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