The New York Mets’ win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night was special in many regards. It was the first of the season after several days of inactivity due to suspensions, and it was also the first in the Steve Cohen era.
It was also special because it had a Pete Alonso home run, and those are always impressive. However, last night’s dinger made the first baseman the fastest hitter in Major League Baseball to reach 70 round-trippers.
Wayne Randazzo, through his official Twitter account, reported the interesting stat. Alonso became the fastest player in Major League history to reach that many career homers, as it took him 220 games — 11 fewer than previous record holder Aaron Judge – to achieve the round number.
Alonso, the Mets’ first baseman ever since he burst into the scene in 2019 with 53 dingers, a record for a rookie – besting Judge’s 52 blasts from 2017 – is determined to return to the level that made him one of the most promising and feared power hitters in the league a couple of seasons ago.
The Mets want to see Alonso’s best version
During the shortened 2020 campaign, the Mets’ couldn’t have the best version of Alonso, and it reflected on the final standings, as the team finished in last place of the NL East division.
Overall, Alonso didn’t hit his stride until late in the season, resulting in a disappointing .231/.326/.490 line. However, the Mets know that despite some cold streaks here and there, Alonso’s power is intact: even during last year’s struggles, he bopped 16 balls out of the park in 57 games, roughly a 45-homer pace over a full season.
This year, Alonso started on the right foot, with a .375/.500/.875 line and a homer, three runs, and a couple of RBI in the first two games of the season. He wants to regain his place among the most dangerous home run hitters in MLB.