Alonso's record-setting walk-off homer snaps Mets' skid, sparks wild celebration

Alonso’s three-run, opposite-field homer in the 10th inning lifted the Mets to a 5-2 victory over the Texas Rangers and stopped an eight-game losing streak, New York’s longest since 2018.

“I’m really stoked I was able to come up and help the team there,” Alonso said. “Obviously this is a really important one for us, especially coming down the stretch.”

New York reopened a 1 1/2-game lead over San Francisco for the last NL wild card, a day after the margin was cut to a half-game.

“It was important,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We needed that one.”

Luis Curvelo intentionally walked Juan Soto starting the bottom half, and Alonso hit a 390-foot-drive onto the roof above the field-level seats next to the right-field bullpen.

Alonso saluted the Mets’ dugout and tossed his helmet. The slugger began taking off his batting gloves between first and second and spiked them while rounding third. He untucked his shirt and alternated between skipping, hopping and running the rest of the way toward home, where he jumped on the plate as he was doused with popcorn by jubilant teammates.

It was Alonso’s most pivotal homer since last Oct. 3, when his go-ahead, three-run homer in the ninth off Devin Williams at Milwaukee lifted the Mets to the Division Series.

“Every walk-off homer is sick, so there’s no way to rank that one,” said Alonso, whose first walk-off homer since May 17, 2023, snapped a tie with Wilmer Flores, Chris Jones, Cleon Jones, Kevin McReynolds and Mike Piazza for the most game-ending blasts in Mets history. “Awesome, a phenomenal feeling. Of course there’s a lot of meaning to that one, for where we are as a team.”

New York was a season-high 21 games over .500 at 45-24 in mid-June but lost 39 of their next 60 entering Sunday and had wasted leads in three of the eight losses during the September skid.

Francisco Alvarez raced home from third on Juan Soto’s fifth-inning groundout off starter Jacob Latz and Brandon Nimmo homered leading off the sixth to build a 2-0 lead behind rookie Nolan McLean. But Joc Pederson tied the score with a two-run single in the seventh off Reed Garrett.

San Francisco had a runner on third with one out in the ninth against Edwin Díaz, who got Josh Smith to line into a double play. The Giants advanced runners to the corners with one out in the 10th before Ryne Stanek struck out Adolis García and Rowdy Tellez popped out.

Alonso followed with his 34th homer. He has 117 RBIs, second in the major leagues behind Kyle Schwarber's 127 for Philadelphia.

“He’s an elite hitter and a clutch player,” Mendoza said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb