Pete Alonso Is the Mets' All-Time Home Run King, And He Should Be A Met For Life

NEW YORK — Nearly six years ago, Pete Alonso stood alone in baseball history. 

On a warm and pleasant late September evening in New York, the Mets first baseman slammed his 53rd home run of the 2019 season and snapped a tie with Yankees slugger Aaron Judge to become the first major league rookie to reach that mark. The record-setting home run capped Alonso’s captivating entrance into the big leagues. From being unsure if he would make the major-league roster out of spring training, Alonso won the Opening Day starting first-base job, earned his first All-Star appearance, won his first Home Run Derby, and held the MLB rookie record for home runs. 

That storied summer was just the start of a special quest, one that laid the early groundwork for Alonso to someday make franchise history. For a prolific slugger like the Polar Bear, crushing 200 more home runs was bound to happen.

The moment arrived against Braves right-hander Spencer Strider in the third inning on Tuesday night at Citi Field. After flirting with the possibility for weeks, Alonso finally stood alone as the Mets’ all-time home-run king when he slugged his 253rd career homer, surpassing Darryl Strawberry for the most in Mets history.

The Citi Field crowd of 39,748 serenaded Alonso around the bases by chanting his name. The dugout emptied as Alonso’s teammates spilled onto the field and hugged him after he crossed home plate. Alonso sported an enormous goofy grin for several minutes, including when he stepped on top of a dugout bench and tipped his helmet for the first of two curtain calls he would experience on Tuesday night. 

"As a kid, you don’t really think that it’s in the realm of possibility to be a franchise home-run leader," Alonso said after taking a