Pete Alonso Hits 200th Homer, But Comeback Falls Short
Pete Alonso conjured his magic for historic homer No. 200 on Harry Potter Day at Citi Field, but Adrian Houser had nothing in his bag of tricks. The Mets fell 7-4 to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Alonso’s 403-foot, two-run blast to right in the fifth inning off Sonny Gray was his eighth of the season. It brought New York to within two runs after the Cardinals had built a 6-0 lead. The Cardinals (13-14) scored four in the first as Houser struggled for the second consecutive start. The Mets have lost five out of six and are back to .500 at 13-13.
Apr 27, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) hits a two run home run, his career 200th home run, during the fifth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
The Cardinals’ four-run first was highlighted by a two-run double by Paul Goldschmidt. Nolan Gorman added an RBI double in the third. Houser went 4 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on nine hits. He walked two and fanned two. In his last start in Los Angeles, Houser gave up eight earned runs in 4 innings. He entered the game with a 7.45 ERA and left with it at 8.37. He exited to boos.
Gray cruised through four scoreless innings, but ran into trouble in the fifth when 10-time Gold Glove winner Nolan Arenado booted a Tyrone Taylor grounder to lead off the inning. Brett Baty walked and after a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third Brandon Nimmo got the Mets on the board with a two-run single. Nimmo scored on Alonso’s blast. Gray went six innings and gave up four runs (1 earned) on four hits and three walks and fanned nine.
Josh Walker, who relieved Houser with runners on first and third, balked in a run, but pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Dedniel Núñez, recalled today when Drew Smith was placed on the injured list, followed with a scoreless inning and three strikeouts. Jake Diekman gave up a run in 1 1/3 innings and Sean Reid-Foley pitched one scoreless frame.
Mark Vientos, called up today with Starling Marte going on the bereavement list, flied out to right field when he pinch-hit for Baty in the seventh. He finished 1-for-2 with a single.
Francisco Lindor was called out for being out of the baseline while running to first after a strikeout to start the eighth inning. He was restrained by first base coach Antoan Richardson arguing the call. Carlos Mendoza protested the call as well. The replay showed Lindor on the infield grass as he ran to first.
The Mets got the tying run to the plate with one out in the ninth, but Tomás Nido popped up on the infield, and after a Nimmo walk loaded the bases, Lindor popped up to short center on the first pitch he saw to end the game.
Stat of the Game
With Houser leaving in the fifth, it was the eighth time in 26 games that Mets starters have failed to pitch five innings.
Player of the Game
Alonso hit 53 home runs as a rookie in 2019. He hit 16 in Covid-shortened 2020 and 37, 40, and 46 over the last three seasons. He is the fourth Met to hit 200 home runs. He trails only Darryl Strawberry (252), David Wright (242), and Mike Piazza (220). Also, a shout out to the City Connect jerseys, which made their debut to mostly positive MMO reviews.
On Deck
Jose Quintana (1-2, 4.21) will try to salvage the series finale at 1:40 p.m. ET. He will be opposed by Lance Lynn (1-0, 2.81) for St. Louis. The game will be broadcast on SNY and MLB Network.
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