The New York Mets and Detroit Tigers played a doubleheader on Thursday to make up for their rainout on Wednesday and New York had a historic performance.
After being shut down for the back half of the first game, a 6-3 Tigers win in 11 innings, the Mets were no-hit for the first seven innings of the second game.
That made them the first team in the last 50 years to go 13 innings without a hit, per OptaSTATS:
“The Mets are the only MLB team in the last 50 years to go 13+ consecutive innings without a hit on a single day. They still ended up winning a game to split the doubleheader.”
New York first baseman Pete Alonso launched a tying home run leading off the ninth inning, Tyrone Taylor lined a game-winning single and the Mets — after going 13 innings without a hit — rallied past the Tigers 2-1 for their first victory of the season.
Harrison Bader’s bloop single to start the eighth inning was the Mets’ first hit in the second game. But New York finally broke through in the ninth and avoided starting 0-6 for the first time since their second season in 1963.
After consecutive rainouts the previous two days, the announced crowd of 15,020 on a chilly afternoon at Citi Field was the smallest for a Mets game, besides pandemic restrictions during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, since the ballpark opened in 2009.
Pete Alonso is the hero, but will he stay with the Mets?
Alonso took an 0-1 changeup from Alex Faedo 19 inches from the ground and tattooed it 403 feet over the left-center field wall, tying the game when the Mets had absolutely no momentum. Three batters later, Tyrone Taylor hit the walk-off single and the Mets were in the win column for the first time in 2024.
For at least a few brief moments, Mets fans could let their frustrations and future anxiety melt away and celebrate the team's first win of the season. But in the front office, it had to serve as at least a brief reminder of Alonso's possible departure. With each passing day, the lack of an extension for Alonso to remain in New York will loom larger.
The home run on Thursday, in addition to being his 500th career RBI, was a sharp reminder of just how remarkable a hitter Alonso really is. The 6-foot-3, 245 pounder had the raw power to take a pitch well below the zone and hit it out despite having most of his weight out over his front foot. That is the true mark of a power hitter–Alonso's misses still have the potential to be home runs.
So, what does that translate to in a contract? The record for a first baseman in average annual value is Freddie Freeman's $27 million, while the largest total value was Matt Olson's $168 million. Alonso is 29, three years younger than Freeman was when he signed and is a more established star than Olson was when he inked his extension with the Atlanta Braves. And Steve Cohen himself has already acknowledged publicly that he expects Alonso to hit free agency.
There's no guarantee a first baseman will break the $200 million barrier in the near future, but Alonso is the first candidate.
Follow Us
Subscribe