Late Tuesday night in the desert, the Mets’ offense exploded against the Diamondbacks and take the series openerincluding a monumental moment for 2024 All-Star Pete Alonso. In the second inning, Alonso hit a deep fly ball to right field for his 220th career home run in a Met uniform. This puts him in third place on the Mets all-time home run list, behind Mike Piazza (242) and Darryl Strawberry (252).

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“Mike was a hero to me growing up, so this is pretty special. For me, he’s one of the guys I looked up to as a kid, and this is pretty special. I’m just happy that I was able to make a positive contribution tonight, get some good batting opportunities and get us on the scoreboard early,” Alonso said.

The 2024 season has not gone well for Alonso, playing just below his career numbers, but the homegrown player continues to fight hard in his at-bats to get going down the stretch. He currently has a batting average of .245/.330/.470/.800 with 28 home runs and 72 RBIs this season.

“This year has been awesome. It’s just absolutely awesome. All the guys in this clubhouse have a very special place in my heart. It’s a really fun group,” said Alonso.

With Pete Alonso entering free agency this offseason, his future with the Mets is uncertain. In his five years in New York, he is 32 home runs short of tying Darryl Strawberry on the Mets’ all-time home run list, holds the MLB rookie home run record (2019), is All-MLB First Team (2019), NL Rookie of the Year (2019), NL RBI Leader (2022), and is a four-time All-Star. An impressive resume, but with about a month left until the 2024 season and the Mets in a major playoff push, Alonso will have to find a way to continue contributing to the team.