Pete Alonso made a statement prior to the Mets’ crucial victory…
With a back that won’t be fully recovered until the offseason, shortstop Francisco Lindor virtually carried the New York Mets to their wild-card playoff series against the Milwaukee Brewers, but All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso has largely disappeared from the plate when the Mets have most needed him.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post and Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com have called Alonso out ahead of New York’s win-or-go-home game at Milwaukee’s American Family Field on Thursday night.
Nobody will ever know if Alonso would’ve prevented an inning-ending double-play in the top of the first of Wednesday’s 5-3 loss if he didn’t bizarrely trip over his own bat on his way to first base. What is clear is that he can’t blame bad luck on the fact that he struck out swinging with a runner on second in the top of the fifth.
Much was made this summer about whether or not Alonso was pressing as he remained on track to reach free agency following the season. According to Gomez and StatMuse, Alonso has now gone 5-for-35 with one RBI and 13 strikeouts over his past 11 games (playoffs included).
Alonso, who turns 30 in December, likely cost himself millions of dollars with his inconsistent performances since March and has become a target of angry Mets fans hoping somebody will step up with Lindor, the team’s most valuable player, less than 100 percent. How Alonso responds to such criticisms could determine both his Mets legacy and how his free agency journey plays out this fall.