Back in 2019, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso broke the MLB record for homers for a rookie with 53, besting Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees in the process. Alonso finished that season as the National League Rookie of the Year while driving in a whopping 120 runs.
After a truncated 60-game 2020 MLB season due to the COVID-19 pandemic saw Alonso belt 16 homers, he appears to be back up to his old tricks.
The 26-year-old slugger blasted a two-run homer off Philadelphia Phillies pitcher David Hale in the ninth inning of Tuesday night’s game.
This wasn’t exactly the mammoth homer we’ve seen from Pete Alonso in the past. But it did put him in the MLB record books once again.
This represented Alonso’s 70th career homer in just his 220th game, besting the aforementioned Aaron Judge to become the fastest player in MLB history to reach that mark.
It really is something. Alonso was on pace for 45-plus homers during a normal 162-game slate last season. Unfortunately, the pandemic led to a smaller MLB schedule. Perhaps, he can reach that mark again in 2021 with a full slate expected to be the name of the game.