By DANIEL MATTHEWS, US SENIOR SPORTS WRITER
Published: | Updated:
Pete Alonso made Mets history on Tuesday night when he hit the 253rd and 254th home runs of his career.
The 30-year-old – nicknamed ‘Polar Bear’ – has now recorded the most homers in franchise history.
Alonso moved past Darryl Strawberry with a 387-foot homer to deep right-center against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field.
The first baseman, who was drafted by New York all the way back in 2016, was honored with a tribute on the jumbotron while fireworks lit up the sky.
The two-run homer put the Mets into a 5-1 lead at the bottom of the third. It was also his 27th home run of the season.
After reaching home plate, Alonso was embraced by teammates Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil.
Pete Alonso made Mets history on Tuesday night when he hit the 253rd home run of his career
The 30-year-old – nicknamed ‘Polar Bear’ – has now recorded the most homers in Mets history
‘Polar Bear’ then removed his helmet and saluted the supporters, who were on their feet inside Citi Field. Alonso followed it up at the bottom of the sixth with homer No 254.
He has played in 964 games for the New York Mets, who took him in the second round of the 2016 draft. The 30-year-old didn’t make his MLB debut until 2019.
Now, with 253, Alonso sits in a tie for 246th in Major League Baseball’s all-time list of most home runs.
Earlier this month, after hitting homer No 250, Alonso said: ‘The record is obviously something that is really special, and it’s meaningful.’
But, he insisted: ‘Right now in the heat of it, I’m not too focused on that… I’m just focused on wins and what I can help this team do to win in each game.
‘We’re in the thick of a playoff race right now. I’ll think of all the other stuff in the offseason or whenever I have time to.’