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It will now be much harder for New York Mets fans to say goodbye to slugger Pete Alonso if he signs with another team in free agency this winter. A heroic and heart-stopping ninth-inning home run improbably lifts the first baseman and his teammates to a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in the deciding Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series.
In what could have been the final at-bat of his Mets career, and with the club two outs away from seeing its magical season end, Alonso hit a three-run blast off superb closer Devin Williams to put New York on top. Starling Marte added an insurance run with an RBI single, and the franchise finished off the Brewers moments later. The visitors' clubhouse is being flooded with champagne, while the home team tries to process the devastating knockout blow it has just been dealt.
Those who witnessed the madness unfold from their living rooms are echoing the shock that is filling American Family Field on Thursday night.
“My heart,” one fan posted on X. “My desire to be a vial, egomaniacal winner. My Mets. All the games I go to. Everybody I love at Citi. I know we didn’t win the World Series, relax. But mostly…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA BREWERS YA DEAD!!!”
There was gloating and mocking galore, but some fans opted to use history to back up their confidence going into the NL Division Series, and possibly beyond. “In the 9 previous times the Brewers have made the postseason, every team that has beaten Milwaukee has reached the World Series,” The Amazin' Army said. “The Mets will look to make it 10-for-10 this year.”
As New York relishes in yet another sensational comeback victory in the last week, Milwaukee suffers through an awful case of October deja vu.
Brewers continue to fall short in the playoffs
The Brew Crew underwent several changes ahead of and throughout the 2024 MLB season. They lost their manager to a divisional rival, traded their ace to the Baltimore Orioles and placed their star hitter on the injured list for what turned out to be the remainder of the year. And yet, the Brewers rose above all those hurdles to win their third NL Central title in four years.
A youthful burst of energy does not always produce favorable results in the playoffs, but this group was not flustered by the moment. Milwaukee weathered a Game 1 loss and bounced back tremendously with a comeback win in Game 2. When Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick belted back-to-back homers in the seventh inning, it seemed like this postseason would go differently for the Brewers.
But the ghosts of the franchise's past haunted Devin Williams and the rest of the team before jubilation could ensue. Heartache will accompany fans on the drive back home, just as it has for the last several seasons. One of the most renown Brewers beat reporters perfectly sums up the anguish that the ballclub and community are feeling in the aftermath of Alonso's stunning shot.
“This year was the one that was supposed to be different,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Curt Hogg posted. “Instead, it ends the same as so many before: heartbreak. As crushing as any before it. Fifty-six years and a World Series title remains elusive.”
Another grueling recovery period begins for the Brewers, and the party rolls on for the Mets.
