Pete Alonso belts 253rd career home run to break Mets record

Pete Alonso has etched himself into the Mets’ record books. 

The first baseman blasted his 253rd career home run in the third inning against the Braves on Tuesday, breaking a tie with Darryl Strawberry for the most in franchise history.

Alonso has appeared in 963 games for the Mets, who drafted him in the second round of the 2016 draft, later making his MLB debut in 2019. 

The first baseman had 26 home runs this season coming into the game, tying Strawberry’s mark on Saturday, and outside of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Alonso has hit at least 34 home runs every year. 

Alonso said that the record wasn’t the first thing on his mind after he hit his 250th home run on Aug. 2 against the Giants. 

“The record is obviously something that is really special, and it’s meaningful, but right now in the heat of it, I’m not too focused on that,” he said. “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.”

Alonso is in the middle of his seventh season with the Mets and truly solidified his place in franchise history with his playoff heroics last season. 

Giants first baseman and former Alonso teammate Dominic Smith previously told reporters that the Mets star is “one of the best power hitters this generation has seen.”

“I’ve seen him as a young kid come up and break the rookie home-run record. Obviously no record is really out of reach for him, especially the way he can swing it, the way he really knows his mechanics well and uses his body and his size,” Smith said.

Alonso already owns the Mets’ single-season home run record with his 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019. 

Strawberry played eight years with the Mets and set the franchise record in 1,109 games during that span.