Even the normally reserved and carefully spoken David Stearns couldn’t contain himself Thursday after his New York Mets advanced to the NL Division Series thanks to late-inning heroics from Pete Alonso . The home-gown Mets star hadn’t hit a home run in 49 at-bats and often looked overmatched in the Wild Card Series against the Milwaukee Brewers when he delivered the biggest hit of his Mets career: a three-run home run in the ninth inning to put the Mets ahead 3-2 during what became a 4-2 victory at American Family Field. BUY METS TICKETS: STUBHUB , VIVID SEATS , TICKETMASTER It couldn’t have been scripted any better.
“I think, you know, we just saw one of the greatest games in Mets history,” Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations, told SNY in the champagne-filled clubhouse . “It’s a franchise that’s had notable, late-inning, late-game comebacks in the playoffs. To be a part of this with this group is really special.
” Alonso was 1 for 8 in the three-game series at that point with two strikeouts and three walks. He was often late on fastballs and generally did not look in tune with his swing. Even though he told reporters Wednesday that he wasn’t thinking about the offseason and his prospective free agency , it clearly seemed like he was pressing.
“He deserved this moment,” Stearns said. “He’s a great Met. He’s someone who has given a tremendous amount to this franchise.
To get a truly signature moment like that, that will go down in.
