NEW YORK For the New York Mets, Wednesday was about rising again.
A day after suffering their fourth straight loss at the hands of the Athletics and being humiliated, if not mocked, New York made a much-needed comeback victory over Oakland, defeating them 9-1. Pete Alonso had his first four-hit night of the year, including a home run, despite having a scabbed nose from a faceplant in the infield dirt the night before.
“This was an unbelievable bounce-back game for us,” Alonso said. “We just needed to respond. This was a really important game, big-picture.”
Not all of Alonso’s nose has been bled recently for New York. The Seattle Mariners had dominated the Mets all weekend, silencing them, and Tuesday’s loss had saw them return home with one of their worst games of the year. Their humiliated celebration on the field by Austin Adams touched a raw emotion.
“The guys showed up, it was a different energy,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
“Losing four in a row, feeling like we were a little bit against the wall, today everybody had a sense of urgency,” Francisco Lindor said, mentioning that Jesse Winker celebrated the team’s first hit “a little harder.” “We felt it. We felt we needed to create better vibes.”
OAK 1
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) August 15, 2024
NYM 9
Final
Pete Alonso had four hits, David Peterson was solid once again, and New York snapped its losing streak at four.
The Mets are 62-58.
Stars ignited it. The Mets took their first lead since Thursday in the second inning thanks to Alonso’s first base hit. Alonso crushed one off the second deck’s façade an inning later, and Lindor added a solo shot the following frame, his 100th in a Mets uniform. Alonso’s hit to left in the seventh inning brought the score up to six runs.
“It comes down to timing,” Mendoza said about Alonso. “It’s him getting to a better position, a stronger position, to fire.”
According to Alonso, it is important to take advantage of opportunities in the zone early in at-bats, avoid walking back errors, and avoid putting himself in a two-strike situation. His abbreviation is “hitting it hard, forward.”
He had demonstrated it during his two-home run game in Colorado the previous week, and during the series in Seattle, he appeared to be outmatched by all of his teammates. The Wednesday eruption was foreshadowed by an RBI hit on Tuesday night.
Every year, Alonso writes at least one dazzling streak: Throughout his major league career, he has averaged a 1.000 OPS and at least twelve home runs in a 30-game streak during each complete season. He has not hit more than eight long balls in a 30-game span this season. Prior to his four hits on Wednesday, he had never recorded an OPS of even.900 over a 30-game span. This month, he crossed that level.
“When Pete is hot, it can be very scary,” Lindor said.
“He can carry a team,” said Mendoza. “We’ve seen it. Hopefully, that’s the case here, where we can get Pete going to carry us for a few weeks, especially where we’re at on the season.”
Because timing is also a factor there. This is not the time for August’s dog days of hesitation. This week, the Mets have the opportunity to gain some ground on two opponents in last place before playing three of the best teams in the league, including clubs from Arizona and San Diego, whom they are pursuing for a wild card spot in the National League. There is no better moment for Alonso to get into that groove for the team or for him.
“It’s contagious,” said Mendoza. “If he gets going, he’s probably going to take pressure off the other guys.”
“For us to be in the postseason, he’s going to be a huge part of our success,” Lindor said.
Alonso was questioned about his nose after the game, the scabs on it having begun to fall off.
“I don’t know about looks,” he said, “but I feel great.”
(Photo of Pete Alonso: Julia Nikhinson / Associated Press)
