Los Angeles (AFP) – The homers just keep coming for New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso, who tied the franchise record for home runs by a rookie with his 26th on Saturday.
Alonso battled Cubs starting pitcher Jose Quintana through six pitches in his first at-bat in Chicago. The count was full when he belted a Quintana curveball into the right-center seats at Wrigley Field to give the Mets a first-inning lead in what would become a 10-2 Mets win.
“I was just trying to put together a good at-bat to start the game,” Alonso said. “I like playing here.”
With less than half the season gone, Alonso tied the Mets’ single-season record for home runs by a rookie, set by Darryl Strawberry in 1983.
The 419-foot solo blast also broke the National League record for most home runs by a rookie before the All-Star break: Cody Bellinger’s 25 in 2017.
Alonso is two home runs shy of Mark McGwire’s Major League record for the most home runs by a rookie before July 1 — 28 in 1987.
Alonso, 24, said he only realized he was approaching Bellinger’s record because he’d been “seeing stuff” on social media.
“I guess when you hit a lot of homers, there’s a lot of buzz around it,” he said.
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