There was a point during the offseason in which it seemed unlikely that Pete Alonso would return to the New York Mets. Needless to say, both parties, and of course the fans, are absolutely ecstatic that they agreed to a new contract in February. Over the course of this 2025 MLB campaign, the five-time All-Star first baseman has strengthened his bond with the city and given the franchise crucial production. He came through again on Tuesday and, in doing so, achieved a noteworthy feat.
Alonso belted his 35th home run of the season off right-handed starting pitcher Michael King to give New York a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning. The 437-foot solo shot boosted the Mets' all-time dinger leader to 300 total bases this season. He is the sixth player to reach that mark in 2025, joining Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, Cal Raleigh and Junior Caminero, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
Ohtani and Judge are favored to win their second consecutive MVP crowns. Cal Raleigh is enjoying arguably the greatest offensive season ever by a catcher. Schwarber leads MLB with 128 RBIs. Caminero needs just two homers to tie Carlos Pena (46) for most homers in Rays' single-season history. This is a special group, and Alonso is now part of it. This is the second time he has accumulated 300 total bases in his seven-year big-league career.
Mets will lean on Alonso in clutch time
While the 30-year-old's numbers deserve praise on their own — batting .269 with 118 RBIs and a .516 slugging percentage — his season-to-season consistency is what should shine most right now. Alonso has weathered slumps, but he has helped prop up the Mets at various points of the campaign. They need him to do the same for the rest of September.
New York (77-73) is in a fragile state, one that a team with a $330-million-plus payroll should never find itself in during the final stretch of the season, but just imagine where it would be without the Polar Bear. Thanks to Pete Alonso and the offense as a whole, this club should maintain at least a one-and-a-half-game lead for the final slot in the National League Wild Card standings.
The situation remains murky, but No. 20 is living proof of what one can do when they are given another opportunity to deliver.
