New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso’s incredible rookie season has been incredible to watch and he added to it on Saturday with a record-tying home run to become part of franchise history.
In the first inning against the Chicago Cubs, Alonso took a 76-mph curveball and did what he does best by rocking it over the fence for his 26th home run of the season.
Alonso’s solo blast now matches Darryl Strawberry’s rookie team record from 1983 when he hit 23 home runs. The number itself is impressive and even more so given it only took Alonso 76 games to reach the historic mark.
The 24-year-old slugger is on pace to hit 50-plus home runs this season, which would give him a shot to beat New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge’s record of 52 home runs by a rookie that he set in 2017. He’s also just two home runs shy of of Mark McGwire’s record (28) for home runs by a rookie before July 1.
Even if Alonso falls short of that mark, he’s well on his way to becoming just the third rookie to hit 40-plus home runs in a season.