Mets’ Pete Alonso overcomes illness to hit walk-off home run against Rays
The Mets really needed that one.
After Kodai Senga struck out 12 and gave the team everything he had, it wasn’t enough as the Mets’ offensive struggles continued early in Wednesday night’s game.
Even when Mark Vientos tied the game at 2-2, it wasn’t enough as the Tampa Bay Rays, the best team in baseball, got to the Mets’ bullpen to take the lead once more. Francisco Alvarez tied the game in the ninth inning to send the game into extra innings, still wasn’t enough.
The Rays struck for two more runs in the top of the 10th. But while it all seemed lost, Pete Alonso did what he does best, mash home runs. And with one out and two on, he launched a 416-foot blast into the New York night to give the Mets’ an improbable 8-7 win.
And to think, Alonso was “sick as a dog” and almost didn’t play.
“Pete’s sick as a dog,” manager Buck Showalter said after the game. “Most people wouldn’t have played tonight or yesterday. I talked to him about it. This guy has been battling here and slept in a separate bedroom last night because he was so sick and he didn’t want his wife to catch it… I’m sure I’ll get it now that I hugged him but I don’t have to play.”
“I felt horrible,” Alonso admitted. “Even though it sucks being sick, it’s always nice to be able to hit homers.”
Alonso said he wasn’t sure if it was a sinus infection or something else, but he was determined to gut it out and made sure he was still in the lineup.
“As long as I’m physically able to play, my job description is a baseball player,” he said. “I want to play. I want to be here for my team and help them when I can if I’m physically able.”
Wednesday was the first walk-off of the season for the Mets and is a bright spot in what has been a brutal stretch for the team. New York entered Wednesday’s game losers of 14 of their last 20 games and three games under .500 (20-23). A combination of poor hitting, pitching and injuries have really done the Mets in in the first quarter of the 2023 season.
Wednesday’s win can hopefully be a springboard for better play, that’s what Alonso hopes.
“This is an unbelievable team win for us,” Alonso said. “Every win gives that optimism. For us to be able to come up against a very high-caliber team, for us to do that tonight is a confidence booster, for sure.”
The Mets will look to win their first series since mid April when they go up against the Rays on Thursday afternoon.
Source: Yahoo Sports
