The Mets won’t make it to the playoffs this season, but first baseman Pete Alonso still made it into the history books, knocking his 53rd home run of the season on Saturday night (Sept. 28) and breaking the MLB rookie record set by the Yankees’ Aaron Judge in 2017.
Alonso was emotional about the achievement, returning to the field the following inning with tears in his eyes. “I was just kind of thinking about all the greats in the game of baseball,” he said after the game. “I was thinking about guys like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, guys like Aaron Judge, and the fact that I’m ahead of those guys as a rookie, it’s mind-blowing.”
“He’s not moved to tears often,” Alonso’s mother, Michelle, said during Fox’s broadcast of the game. “So for him to feel that reward and be moved to tears, that warms my heart because I was certainly falling in my seat at the moment at the same time. It was a family cryfest.”
Alonso also has a shot at becoming the first rookie to win the home run title since 1900. He’s currently leading the majors, four ahead of Cincinnati’s Eugenio Suarez. He already has set the Mets’ franchise record for home runs in a season.
“It’s surreal. It was almost like an out-of-body experience,” Alonso said. “Unbelievable moment. This is more than a dream. This is more than fantasy. I can’t put it into words.”
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