DENVER — When Pete Alonso re-signed with the Mets last offseason, one implication was immediately clear: Alonso would have a prime chance to become the franchise’s all-time home run king late in the summer.
Through two-plus months, he’s right on pace, with only one name still standing above him. Alonso on Sunday tied and then passed David Wright for second on the Mets’ all-time list with his 242nd and 243rd career homers. Both were two-run shots that scored Juan Soto, first in the third inning, and then again in the eighth.
“He did it a lot quicker than I did, that’s for sure,” Wright said last month in anticipation of the milestone homer. “Certainly one of the premier power hitters in baseball. It just seems like every time the ball leaves his bat, it’s got a chance to get out of the ballpark. And it doesn’t even matter what ballpark he’s playing in.”
Alonso needed just 912 games to reach the mark. Wright retired with 1,585 games played.
The homers give Alonso 17 on the season. He trails Darryl Strawberry, the Mets’ all-time home run king, by nine.
“Straw’s not far behind,” Wright said. “Certainly deserving with the power credentials that he’s shown. And he posts. He doesn’t miss games. I think that’s one of the greatest attributes that you can have is a guy that you can pencil into the lineup for 160 games a year.”
