The New York Mets have a new home run king.
Pete Alonso hit a two-run blast off Atlanta Braves starter Spencer Strider on Tuesday, extending New York's lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning.
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The home run was the 253rd of Alonso's career, moving him past a tie with franchise great Darryl Strawberry for the most in Mets history. Alonso broke the record in front of an appreciative Citi Field home crowd that celebrated the achievement with a standing ovation.
Then he hit another one in the sixth inning.
The solo shot off of reliever Austin Cox extended New York's lead again, this time to 11-5. It also extended his new Mets record to 254 home runs.
His second home run of the night again sent Citi Field into a frenzy.
Strawberry went on to tally 335 home runs in a career that also included stints with the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees. But his 252 with the Mets previously stood as the franchise record.
Alonso, 30, re-signed with the Mets on a two-year, $54 million contract in the offseason and will presumably have plenty of opportunities to add to his now-franchise-record home run tally.
Alonso led the NL with 53 home runs in his rookie campaign in 2019. In the years since then, he has remained one of baseball's premier sluggers, with 34-plus home runs in each season that wasn't shortened by COVID-19.
Tuesday's home runs was Alonso's 27th and 28th of the season in his 118th game, putting him well on pace to eclipse 30 home runs again, with 43 games remaining on New York's schedule. The Mets will need all they can get from Alonso as they fight for a spot in the playoffs.
The Mets entered Tuesday's game amid a seven-game losing streak and having lost 11 of their previous 12. The slump dropped them to 63-55, six games behind the first-place Phillies in the NL East. That said, they remain in control of their playoff path, with a two-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the final wild-card berth in the National League.
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