Pete Alonso ended the New York Mets’ eight-game losing streak with a walk-off homer in the 10th inning for a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
With automatic runner Francisco Lindor on second base, Rangers reliever Luis Curvelo intentionally walked Juan Soto to face Alonso. That gave Curvelo a right-on-right matchup and presumably also created the possibility of a double play. However, Alonso may have taken that personally.
Curvelo left a 96 mph sinker in the lower middle of the strike zone and Alonso took it to the opposite field for the game-winning dinger and his 34th home run of the season.
“That one felt amazing,” Alonso said after the game. “”I felt like I was surfing on top of a dragon there. That was sick!”
[Get more Mets news: New York team feed]
More importantly, Alonso’s homer gave the Mets a desperately needed win, ending a downward spiral that has their postseason chances in jeopardy. New York had lost eight games in a row and nine of its past 10 coming into Sunday, adding to a 21-31 record since the All-Star break. Per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, the Mets had never lost nine games in a row and qualified for the playoffs.
“Not going to lie, we needed that one,” said manager Carlos Mendoza afterward.
The Mets also got another excellent start from rookie Nolan McLean, who pitched six scoreless innings and allowed five hits with seven strikeouts. In his six starts this season, McLean has a 1.19 ERA, allowing one or fewer runs in four of those appearances.
At 77-73 and 12 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, the NL East is out of reach. But the Mets (77-73) went into the weekend with a narrow half-game lead over the San Francisco Giants for the National League’s third and last remaining wild-card playoff spot.
However, with the Giants’ 10-2 loss to the Dodgers on Sunday, the Mets will take a 1.5-game lead into a six-game homestand versus the San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals beginning on Tuesday. (The Mets also lead the Arizona Diamondbacks by two games and the Cincinnati Reds by 2.5.)
Read the full article here