NEW YORK — A day after he was the one participant to talk throughout a pregame workforce assembly led by David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza, Pete Alonso delivered one among his finest performances of the season. Alonso homered amongst his three hits and drove in 5 runs within the New York Mets’ 10-1 beatdown of the Washington Nationals at Citi Area.
With Atlanta dropping, the Mets’ pushed their lead for a playoff spot to 2 video games.
“We management our personal future,” Alonso stated. “That’s what we wish to do, is win as many ballgames as we will.”
WSH 1
NYM 10
LastTylor Megill was good once more. Luisangel Acuña had three hits, together with a house run. The lead over Atlanta is as much as two.
The Mets are 83-68.
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) September 18, 2024
That was largely the message on Monday within the Mets clubhouse when Stearns and Mendoza addressed the workforce. Alonso spoke on the finish, reminding his teammates what was nonetheless in entrance of them.
(The New York Submit first reported the workforce assembly and Alonso’s position inside it.)
“It was superior — identical to a bit of pump-up speech to offer us a bit of push for the following two weeks,” stated Mark Vientos. “I really feel like now we have the sting proper now and we’re going to maintain it going.”
“That’s been Pete all 12 months,” stated J.D. Martinez. “He speaks when he must.”
“I simply needed to say one thing from the center to the fellas,” Alonso stated. “That’s just about it.”
“It was cool to listen to from all of them,” Tyrone Taylor stated. “Simply come and be the most effective model of ourselves. These are cool phrases to listen to.”
He paused.
“Having enjoyable was additionally thrown in there,” he stated.
Tuesday was actually enjoyable for New York. Tylor Megill continued his late-season surge, limiting Washington to an unearned run on two hits over six innings. In 4 begins filling in for the injured Paul Blackburn, Megill has allowed 4 earned runs in 21 2/3 innings; the Mets are 4-0 in these video games.
Luisangel Acuña, enjoying for Francisco Lindor at shortstop, rebounded from an early error to come back by way of with three hits, together with an RBI double and the primary house run of his major-league profession.
And Alonso helped break the sport open early and put it away late. The primary baseman has not had a poor 12 months. However this season for Alonso has lacked the massive, well timed hits he had routinely supplied prior to now. His OPS with runners in scoring place is down 200 factors from his profession norm.
On Tuesday not less than, he delivered in these moments. With the bases loaded within the third inning, his broken-bat blooper plunked down behind first base to attain two — the form of batted-ball luck that has typically eluded him for the reason that begin of final season.
Three innings later, he pummeled an 0-2 fastball on the interior half to left discipline for a three-run homer — his first three-run blast in three months.
“I really feel actually good,” Alonso stated. “I simply wish to proceed to have high quality at-bats.”
“He can carry a workforce,” Mendoza stated. “It was good for him to say what he wanted to say, and to go on the market and again it up is sweet.”
This is able to not be the primary time a robust sport from Alonso has hinted at a attribute scorching streak to come back; that stretch has but to reach in full pressure in 2024. There are 11 regular-season video games for it but. Alonso and the Mets hope there’s much more time than that — that this isn’t his ultimate homestand in Queens.
“This place is admittedly particular,” he stated of New York. “I’m simply actually fired up due to the scenario we’ve put ourselves in.”
(Picture of Pete Alonso: Brad Penner / Imagn Photographs)
