Alonso-sparked Mets stay alive, beat Dodgers in NLCS Game 5 - ESPN

NEW YORK — Pete Alonso's improbable home run set the tone for the night.

The Mets first baseman hit a first-inning slider from the Dodgers' Jack Flaherty at his feet to deep center field, a three-run, 432-foot blast that put the Mets' offense in gear in an eventual 12-6, season-saving win in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Friday.

The home run wasn't a pitching mistake as much as it was a hitting marvel.

Alonso made contact on a pitch that was just 1.12 feet above the ground, the second-lowest ball hit for a home run in the postseason in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).

«I was just looking for something over the middle of the plate,» Alonso said when asked to explain how he got the barrel of the bat on Flaherty's pitch. «I didn't really realize how low the pitch was. I got caught a little out front.… Honestly, it's inexplainable. It's the magic of the postseason. And I'm just happy I squared it up.»

The home run sparked an incredible night for the Mets' offense, one that did not include a strikeout by any New York hitter. It marked the first time a team hasn't struck out in a postseason game since the Los Angeles Angels in the 2002 World Series against the San Francisco Giants.

«We didn't strike out?» outfielder Jesse Winker said when informed of the accomplishment. «We didn't strike out? Wow. I don't think I've been part of a game like that. That's amazing. We just have to keep doing that.»

The turnaround against Flaherty was striking. He shut out the Mets over seven innings in a Game 1 win but lasted only three innings in Game 5, giving up eight runs, eight hits and four walks.

«We didn't chase his secondary pitches,» Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. «We know he's got that slider and the