MILWAUKEE — Pete Alonso and Darryl Strawberry. Darryl Strawberry and Pete Alonso. It has a nice ring to the current Mets first baseman.
A day after tying Strawberry’s franchise record with his 252nd career homer, Alonso said his relationship with the former All-Star outfielder only adds to the magnitude of the achievement.
Strawberry has been a presence within the organization in recent seasons as a guest spring training instructor and club ambassador.
“The fact that we have an in-person, face-to-face relationship is awesome,” Alonso said Sunday before the Mets faced the Brewers. “He’s just one of those guys that means so much to this organization.”
Alonso, who left the clubhouse a night earlier before speaking to reporters — he had a family matter to which he needed to attend — said it was difficult for him in the moment to celebrate the historic clout, which occurred in the second inning, because the Mets had a game to win.
Ultimately, the team lost 7-4.
It was just the latest memorable home run for Alonso at American Family Field. Last year, his ninth-inning blast against Devin Williams lifted the Mets to victory in Game 3 of the National League wild-card series. And two years earlier he homered in this ballpark to help the Mets clinch a wild-card berth. The blast also helped Max Scherzer secure career victory No. 200.
“It’s a great place to hit — I see the ball pretty well here,” Alonso said. “I still think my second-favorite homer here was the three-run homer against Corbin Burnes that gave Max the win and it was our first time clinching a playoff spot in [six] years. My first favorite is obviously the playoff homer.”
Alonso was asked if he would have believed it if someone told him before his rookie season he would eventually catch Strawberry on the franchise’s all-time homer list.
“If the circumstances allowed me, I would have [believed it],” Alonso said. “For me it was all about staying healthy and playing as many games as possible and doing my part to help the team win.
“To say you are a franchise leader, it’s special. Not many people get to see that. You have the runway to play here. I have been here seven years and with my game and skill set if you were to tell me that, it would be like, ‘OK, yeah, sweet, checks out.’”
Alonso, 30, said he could envision himself joining the 500-home run club before his career concludes.
“It’s circumstantial, but if I stay healthy and perform, I can get there,” Alonso said. “I would like to play until I am 40. I think if I stay healthy and continue to perform [500 homers] is reasonable.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
