2024 MLB Playoffs: Pete Alonso ends home run drought, sends Mets to NLDS with 3-run home run in Wild Card Game 3

MILWAUKEE — No player needed a big moment more than Pete Alonso.

During the Mets' incredible September run to reach the postseason, including their wild doubleheader in Atlanta earlier this week and the first two games of their NL wild-card series against Milwaukee, they had many big successes. But none came from their star first baseman.

In fact, nothing seemed to be going right for Alonso before his ninth inning in Game 3 on Thursday. His timing was off; he didn't seem comfortable in the batter's box. Honestly, with the Mets' season on the line, there were probably other guys fans wanted on the roster at that moment.

But in baseball, especially in the postseason, the moment finds one.

“When you see the game unfolding and we're going into the ninth inning and we're facing one of the best closers in the game, and I look to my right and I see Pete Alonso and I thought, 'This could be it.' ',” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after his team's 4-2 win.

The Mets had suffered a huge defeat before the ninth inning. Not only were they behind after back-to-back home runs in the seventh gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead, but as All-Star closer Devin Williams was set to close out the ninth, the obstacles and pressure began to mount.

But as we've seen all year, there's no end to these Mets. Francisco Lindor got the ball going with a base hit, a single put runner from Brandon Nimmo on the corners and the stage was set for Alonso.

“I wanted to be in this place,” he said afterwards. “I wanted to do something for my team. I wanted to make a positive contribution.”

The Mets were down two players and needed a big hit from the man nicknamed “Polar Bear.” But when Alonso went into attack, he hadn't hit a home run since September 19th. Worse, in a string of 41 at-bats during that span, he didn't even have an extra-base hit.

“It’s been tough for him all year,” Mendoza said. “People talk about wanting more from Pete and if you look at his numbers – it's a pretty good year. Obviously the standards and expectations for him are that he should hit 45, 50 home runs every year, and that's not easy.

“He’s handled it better than anyone, and he wants it as bad as anyone.”

And so, just as you'd imagine, Alonso got a 3-1 count in the final at-bat of his Mets career and then delivered the biggest swing of his life, launching a fastball deep to the right-field wall. As the ball left the field, it sparked chaos in New York's dugout while the stunned Milwaukee crowd watched in silence.

“Alonso may have been quiet in this series, but this is a big change,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said afterward. “That's the way it is.”

Alonso has hit 226 home runs in the major leagues; since 2019, only Aaron Judge has hit more. However, in recent weeks, Alonso has only had a string of strikeouts. His pop-up fall at the start of Game 3 and even his tripping over his bat in Game 2 seemed like a microcosm of the way things were going.

But in one fell swoop, Alonso made the last two weeks – and even the last two hours – no longer matter. When the Mets needed a hero, their first baseman found a way to end his blackout by sending his team to the NLDS, where they will face the Phillies starting in Game 1 on Saturday.

“I'm just happy that I was able to advance right there for my team,” said Alonso about the game-winning momentum. “It’s a really special moment.”

Mendoza added: “Pete coming through is a dream come true for him and what a unique moment it is. “And here we are, moving on to the next round.”

As Alonso rounded first base, the entire Mets team rushed the field.

“It means the world,” Alonso said afterwards. “It doesn’t matter if it’s me or someone else – I know everyone in our clubhouse, I know everyone in the organization has each other’s backs.

“That’s one of the reasons why we managed to get back on our feet, get a place in the playoffs and then get to the next level. … This is our identity.”

If you want to know what improbable success looks like, look no further than the 2024 Mets, who made their middle name improbable this season.

Will you be one of the hottest teams in baseball after going 9-19 in May? Post a 65-40 record over the final four months of the season to advance to the postseason? Unlikely.

Winning a must-win contest after the last two outs against one of the game's best closers? Getting the game-winning hit from a struggling star who hadn't hit a home run in weeks? Unlikely.

After the game, Mendoza reflected on the Mets players' team meeting in late May — it turned out to be the lowest point of the season and the crucial turning point.

“They came together at the famous team meeting and … they backed up those words by going out and pushing each other, holding each other accountable and believing in themselves,” he said.

“Win or lose, same mentality, day in and day out. It happened, man.”

For a while on Thursday, it seemed as if the Mets' magical season would come to a bitter end. But then, as they have done all season, they found a little more magic.

“It’s a very special group,” Alonso said. “How far we’ve come this year…not many people thought we’d be at this point now. There’s just something really special about continuing on.”