New York Mets: The struggling Pete Alonso’s “resilience” pays off

Sep 28, 2019; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves during the third inning at Citi Field. The home run was his 53rd of the season breaking the rookie record for home runs in a single season. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

To this point, New York Mets‘ 2019 hero Pete Alonso isn’t having a particularly good 2020. After slashing .260/.358/.583 last season, he is down to .209/.323/.410 and has also had some defensive lapses. He is yet to get into a rhythm at the plate, and the Mets have suffered because of that.

Alonso, the New York Mets’ and MLB’s rookie of the year in 2019, was 0-for-4 before his last turn of the night on Thursday. He was 1-for-his last 19, and in a 4-for-42 slump. Those are ugly numbers.

But for one at-bat, the magic returned. He drove an Albert Abreu offering into the stands for a two-run, walk-off home run that gave the New York Mets a much needed victory.

“This is a valuable lesson,” Alonso said to MLB.com afterwards. “It doesn’t matter what happened. You’ve just got to stay resilient and keep fighting.”

The Mets’ star is in a good place mentally

Despite the adverse circumstances in the last few games, Alonso doesn’t allow himself to enter in a mental rut. He says he found himself “calm and collected … under control and balanced.”

“None of the stuff that happened is relevant, or should be relevant,” Alonso said. “What matters is that at-bat, because that at-bat is happening now. Whatever happened, all the at-bats that happened before, they don’t matter in the moment. In the moment, I’ve got a job to do. And we have a game to win.”

The Mets’ slugger has confidence that he will break out of his funk for good soon enough. He has been working on the cage to refine his swing and approach.

But for one night, he will savor the moment.

“It was a sick ending to the game,” he said. “It was extremely fun, but tomorrow’s a new day. It’s a new series. And it’s go-time.”