WATCH: Pete Alonso blasts walk-off home run for Mets
Former Florida Gators slugger Pete Alonso provided fireworks in the Queens on Thursday afternoon.
The New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals were tied after nine innings of play. St. Louis was able to score a run in the top of the tenth. Alonso was the first batter to step into the box for the Mets, who were looking to answer. He took the second pitch he saw, a 93 MPH sinker, deep over the fence for a walk-off home run.
Alonso finished the day 3-for-4 with three RBIs. He is up to a .309/.397/.618 slash line in May with six home runs, and his 36 RBIs are the most in baseball.
The Mets have been on an incredible run to start the 2022 season. They have a 26-14 record, which is seven games better than anyone else in the National League East. It’s the third-best record in the Major Leagues behind the New York Yankees (28-10) and the Los Angele Dodgers (25-12). Alonso has been a major factor in the Mets’ hot start.
He’s also had an incredible start to his career. He is only the third player in MLB history to win back-to-back home run derbies. Alonso won as a rookie in 2019. The 2020 Home Run Derby was canceled due to COVID-19, but Alonso made up for it by winning in 2021. Only Ken Griffey Jr. and Yoenis Cespedis have won back-to-back contests.
Pete calls game
Alonso as a Gator
Alonso came to Florida from Plat High School in Tamps. he was a three-time member of Tampa Bay Times’ All-Suncoast Team. He was a second-team Preseason All-American and was named to the Florida All-Region First Team by Rawlings/Perfect Game prior to his senior year.
As a freshman, he batted .264 with 32 RBI, 19 walks, 18 runs, six doubles, four homers, and two triples in 60 games (58 starts). He was chosen as a second-team Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). Alonso was one of three Gators named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
As a sophomore, Alonso missed the Gators’ first 30 games of the season while recovering from a broken foot. He started 39 games at first base and hit .301 with 33 runs, 32 RBI, 10 doubles, five homers, and a pair of triples. This is also the year where he started to come into his own as a defender. Alonso committed just one error and registered a .997 fielding percentage.
Alonso took off as a junior. He led the team and ranked 4th in the SEC with a .374 batting average (79-211), the highest for a Gator since Matt LaPorta hit .402 in 200y. He tallied 60 RBI and 51 runs scored. 32 of his 79 hits went for extra bases, including 14 home runs and 18 doubles. His .659 slugging percentage led the conference by over 56 percentage points
