Alonso powers Mets in crucial bounce-back, keeping postseason hopes alive
Pete Alonso drives a 5-0 win over the Marlins as Mets push toward Game 162 in a potential postseason showdown
MIAMI — Pete Alonso set the tone for a crucial Mets win, delivering a bounce-back performance that helped New York to a 5-0 victory over the Miami Marlins in Game 161 at loanDepot Park and kept their postseason fate in play for Sunday’s Game 162. After a rough night Friday that included a misplay that led to a Marlins run, Alonso and the Mets showed resilience as they tried to keep pace in the National League wild-card race. With the win, New York moved a step closer to ensuring that its final game of the season would matter, particularly because Alonso, a pending free agent, could be playing the last regular-season game of his Mets tenure.
Francisco Lindor drew a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch in the first inning, setting the stage for Alonso to break the ice. The slugger barreled a 99.1 mph four-seamer into left-center for a double that gave New York a 1-0 lead and provided the early spark the lineup had needed after a season of stranded runners.
In the fourth, Pérez stayed in his rhythm and again challenged Alonso. The Marlins’ ace fired a 100.6 mph four-seamer, and Alonso timed it right, turning on the offering for a no-doubt homer to left that pushed the lead to 3-0. Alonso had two RBIs in the game, driving in runs with the first-inning double and the fourth-inning homer, and later scored in the sixth when he drew a bases-loaded walk as Jeff McNeil followed with a run-producing double to add insurance. The Mets collected just three hits against Pérez, but Alonso’s two big swings were enough to shape the outcome.
Manager Carlos Mendoza credited Alonso with setting the tone. “Pete setting the tone early on, we needed that,” Mendoza said after the Mets could breathe easier for the night. Alonso, asked about facing 100 mph-plus heat, smiled and offered a candid answer: “I felt like I had good at-bats all day, and hopefully I carry this over for tomorrow.” He added, “They don't round up on those?” illustrating the challenge of barreling a triple-digit fastball. The moment reflected a team trying to protect its playoff window while facing a high-end pitcher in Pérez, who had been electric with 11 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Looking ahead, the Mets needed a single more win to lock in a meaningful finale. Sunday’s game would determine whether the club’s season would have any postseason oxygen left, with Alonso’s status as a pending free agent adding to the significance of any late-season moment. The Mets hoped to translate Saturday’s energy into a series-ending win that would keep their postseason hopes alive, and the team would lean on a rotation that has shown it can protect leads when needed.
Alonso’s success came despite a season-long theme for the Mets—a tendency to strand runners and a need for more multi-hit games from the lineup. Still, his performance on Saturday offered a blueprint for how New York could approach the season’s closing hours: attack when the opportunity exists, and rely on a bullpen that has grown steadier as the year has worn on.
The Mets entered the day with a chance to keep their postseason fate in their own hands, and the win provided a crucial step toward that goal. If Sunday’s result goes their way, the scenario that seemed unlikely just a week ago could become a reality, and Alonso’s Saturday effort would stand as a centerpiece of that push.
