Pete Alonso's Five-RBI Day Leads Mets To Series Victory Over Phillies

Mets first baseman Pete Alonso drove in five runs on Wednesday to lead the Mets to a series victory over the Phillies.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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The Mets survived another shaky performance from their bullpen thanks to Pete Alonso. 

It was the Pete Alonso show on Wednesday as the Mets snatched the rubber game from the Phillies by a score of 9-6 to take the series from their National League East rivals. 

On a day, where ace pitcher Max Scherzer didn't have his best stuff, the righty labored through five innings on 96 pitches, and was able to strikeout seven batters, while only allowing one run. Scherzer walked three batters and allowed five hits along the way.

And Scherzer's offense would do the rest, as Alonso drove in five of the Mets' nine runs on two doubles and a three-run home run.

Alonso had a pair of RBI doubles in the fourth and fifth inning. And in the top of the sixth, the first baseman, who was serving as the designated hitter on Wednesday, crushed a three-run blast into the seats in right center with two outs off Connor Brogdon to bust the game wide open at 8-1. 

Alonso's homer wound up making the difference in this game, as the Phillies chipped away against the Mets' bullpen to cut the deficit to 9-6. Alonso has two home runs, 10 RBIs (National League lead) and a .880 OPS in seven games this season. 

"That was the big moment in the game that put us ahead by a bunch," Alonso told reporters of his three-run homer. "Thankfully that was enough. Philly has a great offense, they're a great team and started to come back there, but I feel like coming through like that for the team was huge."

Alonso's long ball was the 108th of his career since entering the league in 2019. The slugger is now tied for 13th on the Mets' all-time home run list with Jose Reyes.

Beyond Alonso's big performance, Brandon Nimmo homered for the second-straight game. Starling Marte produced an RBI single in the at-bat before Alonso's three-run shot, Jeff McNeil was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth inning and Dominic Smith had a sacrifice-fly. 

The Mets' offense scored three runs off Phillies starter Aaron Nola, chasing him from his outing after just 3.1 innings. 

After starting off the 2022 campaign 3-0, the Mets suffered back-to-back losses via late-inning meltdowns from their bullpen on Sunday and Monday. But manager Buck Showalter's group has been able to bounce-back by finishing off their road trip on a high-note with two straight victories. 

The Mets will get a much-needed day off on Thursday after a successful 5-2 road trip against two NL East rivals to open up the 2022 regular-season. 

The Mets will travel back to New York for their home opener with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, April 15. Prior to this game, the Mets will unveil a Tom Seaver statue outside of Citi Field to honor the franchise's best pitcher of all-time. 

"We played so extremely well on this road trip," Alonso said. "I'm just really excited to play in front of Mets fans. It's going to be a fun year and I can't wait to get back to Citi."

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Pat Ragazzo
PAT RAGAZZO

Pat Ragazzo is the reporter, publisher, site manager and executive editor for Sports Illustrated's Mets and Yankees On SI websites. Pat was selected as The Top Reporter & Publisher of the Year 2024 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to the industry. He has been seen on several major TV Network stations including: NBC4, CBS2, FOX5, PIX11 and NY1; and is frequently heard on ESPN New York FM 880 AM and WFAN Sports Radio 101.9 FM as a guest. Pat also serves as the Mets insider for the "Allow Me 2 Be Frank" podcast hosted by Frank "The Tank" Fleming of Barstool Sports. You can follow him on Twitter/X: @ragazzoreport.