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From milestone blasts to walk-offs to October clouts that will live forever in Mets lore, Pete Alonso has hit a ton of home runs, more than anyone in Flushing history.

But which round-trippers are his best ever? We engaged a crack team of homerologists to come up with a list of Alonso’s Top 5. They used everything from tape measures to Statcast to their deep feel for baseball (and Mets) history to determine which of Pete’s nukes really stand out. 

Bet you can guess No. 1 on this list, which is meant to celebrate the home run that broke Darryl Strawberry’s previous Mets career record of 252. (That’s why No. 253 itself isn’t on here). Of course, Alonso might replace all of the rockets on this countdown if he keeps slugging away. 

So read on, beginning with No. 5. 

5. Alonso’s first career home run 

You’ve got to start somewhere, and Alonso did on April 1, 2019. It was a delight that the Mets took him on the big league roster out of spring camp instead of trying to manipulate his service time and, zowie, did it pay off. After going homer-less in his first three MLB games, Alonso gave the baseball world an idea of what to expect when his bat meets ball. With the Mets up by a run in the ninth inning in Miami, he smashed a three-run homer off righty Drew Steckenrider to give the Mets a cushion in what eventually was a 7-3 win. The drive went 112.8 mph off the bat and traveled 444 feet to center field. 

4. Pete punishes pinstripers

Alonso seems to have a flair for big moments, so it’s hard not to choose his first walk-off career home run, which came on Sept. 3, 2020 and doomed the Yankees. With the score knotted at 7 in the bottom of the 10th inning at Citi Field, Alonso powered a 404-foot shot down the left-field line off Albert Abreu, clobbering Abreu’s 97.5-mph four seamer. Since Dom Smith started the inning on second base – he was the Manfred Man – the Mets won the game by a 9-7 score. Weird nugget: The “fans” in the stands were cutouts, since it was the pandemic season.

3. The one where we cheat

The 2019 season was milestone mania for Alonso, who set the MLB rookie record for homers and the Mets’ club mark for a single season, too, by blasting 53. We can’t leave any of these record-breakers out! We refuse. So we are going to recognize them all, starting with his 27th homer that year, which came off Cole Hamels at Wrigley Field and broke Strawberry’s Mets record for rookie homers in a single season. When he hit No. 40 roughly two months later, it broke Cody Bellinger’s mark for an NL rookie. When he slugged No. 42 on Aug. 27, he set the Mets single-season record, passing Todd Hundley and Carlos Beltran. And when he hit his 53rd on Sept. 28 off Mike Foltynewicz of the Braves, he broke the MLB rookie record Aaron Judge had set two years earlier. What a season.

2. Postseason Polar (Bear) power

The Mets were facing elimination in Game 5 of the 2024 NLCS against the Dodgers, but Alonso gave them a first-inning jolt that helped spur a 12-6 win and push the series to six games. Facing Jack Flaherty, who had shredded the Mets in Game 1, Alonso reached down and golfed a Flaherty offering over the center field fence, a three-run drive that traveled 432 feet. According to MLB.com, it was the longest postseason homer by a Met in the Statcast Era (since 2015), topping Travis d’Arnaud’s 431-foot shot off the Home Run Apple in 2015. 

1. Duh

One day, Alonso may hit a bigger home run than our list-topper. That would be incredible, because what Alonso did on Oct. 3, 2024 was historic. It saved the Mets season – maybe saved Alonso’s Mets career, too, considering he was heading into free agency off a down (for him) season. In the ninth inning of Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series against the Brewers, the Mets were down, 2-0, with two on and one out in the ninth inning. Their superlative closer, Devin Williams, was on the mound. Fairly bleak, right? But Alonso hit a three-run homer and the Mets went on to win, 4-2. Alonso’s home run was the first ever go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of a winner-take-all postseason game hit while the player’s team was trailing. That’s a bit of a mouthful; simply put, it’s one of the great clutch swings in MLB history.

Honorable mention(s)

We can’t stop ourselves. And we’d be remiss if we did not mention July 17, 2019, when Alonso hit the longest home run of his career, a 489-foot mash off Matt Magill in Minnesota. Then there’s the day in 2024 (Aug. 8) when he slugged two homers off Austin Gomber at Coors Field that went 471 feet and 454 feet, respectively. That’s 925 feet worth of homers! In the 2021 Home Run Derby, Alonso was credited with a 514-foot shot in Colorado. Man, imagine if Alonso played his home games at Coors Field? One last one – Alonso got plenty of national buzz after his performance in the 2018 MLB Futures Game when he smacked a 415-foot homer, kind of like he was saying, “Hello, baseball world, I’m the future Mets club leader in home runs.” 

Giants' farm system makes largest jump in MLB's latest post-deadline ranking originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants’ organization took a significant step forward in recent weeks.

At the minor-league level.

San Francisco, by trading relief pitchers Tyler Rogers, Camilo Doval and outfielder Mike Yastrzemski before MLB’s July 31 trade deadline, received eight players (seven prospects) that appear to have significantly improved its farm system in the eyes of some experts.

MLB.com’s Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra and Jonathan Mayo released their updated ranking of all 30 farm systems, and the Giants are on the rise.

18. San Francisco Giants

2025 preseason rank: 28
2024 midseason rank: 23
2024 preseason rank: 17
2023 midseason rank: 14

Top 100 Prospects: Bryce Eldridge, 1B (No. 13)

“The most improved system since our March rankings — up 10 spots from No. 28 — the Giants are loaded with young talent and poised to continue to climb,” MLB.com wrote. “Eldridge is raking in Triple-A at age 20, but many of their best prospects have starred in Rookie ball this year, including shortstops Josuar Gonzalez and Jhonny Level and right-handers Argenis Cayama, Keyner Martinez and Alberto Laroche.

“Outfielders are becoming a strength of the system, led by Bo Davidson (signed as a nondrafted free agent) and Dakota Jordan.”

While MLB.com has one Giants prospect (Eldridge) on its top-100 list, Baseball America has three San Francisco prospects (Eldridge, Gonzalez and Davidson) on theirs.

While the Giants continue to struggle mightily at the major-league level, their farm system at least is trending upward as the team continues to look toward the future.

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Giants option top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt amid roster shuffle originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants saw enough out of Kai-Wei Teng last Friday to give him another shot, and because the San Diego Padres are so balanced at the top of their lineup, they’ll let the right-hander start on Wednesday instead of following a left-handed opener. Two days later, Landen Roupp will return from an elbow scare. 

The rotation, at least for now, is full again, and on Tuesday that led to the Giants optioning top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt when they needed a roster spot for Tyler Fitzgerald. Whisenhunt had an up-and-down first stint in the big leagues, allowing eight runs in 14 1/3 innings, but also mixing in a strong start in New York against the Mets. 

Manager Bob Melvin said the three starts were a learning experience for the 24-year-old. 

“The first time at the big league level, you learn some things pretty quickly about yourself. It happens a little bit quicker here,” Melvin said. “He had a tough first inning and recovered in his first outing. Pitched pretty well after that and had a good start in New York and then had an on-and-off one (over the weekend). You realize kind of what plays here and whatnot. He’s going to be better for it when he goes down. 

“I think you trust your instincts a little bit more when you feel what happens here at the big league level. He’s going to be better for it. We’ll see him again at some point.”

The main lesson for the lefty involved the two pitches he used most often. Whisenhunt has an elite changeup, but it was inconsistent in the big leagues, and hitters were ready for it. There’s so much data and video now that prospects aren’t able to sneak up on anyone, and Whisenhunt allowed a .273 average on his changeup. 

He responded by leaning heavily on his sinker, which he commanded well in New York. When he left a few over the plate on Saturday against the Washington Nationals, he allowed three homers. 

Whisenhunt struck out 12 in his three starts but also walked seven. He allowed five homers, three on his sinker and two on his changeup. 

“I think he found out pretty quickly that he needs to be able to locate his fastball,” Melvin said. “And when he does, it makes his off-speed stuff — especially his changeup — that much better.”

The run in the big leagues was perhaps shorter than Whisenhunt hoped, but the Giants view him as a big part of their plans going forward. Melvin said they saw enough to be confident the lefty “can perform here.”

Company In Triple-A

Whisenhunt returns to a River Cats rotation that’s filled with pitchers waiting for a return to the big leagues. 

Hayden Birdsong has made three starts since being optioned and has shown improved command, walking four in 12 1/3 innings. He has allowed 17 hits and seven earned runs, but the Giants mostly wanted to see him get back in the strike zone and get some confidence back. They feel he’s headed in the right direction, although a return to the big leagues isn’t imminent. 

“He is throwing strikes,” Melvin said. “I know he gave up a few runs, but we’ll see where it goes.”

The Giants also are eager to take a look at right-hander Blade Tidwell, acquired in the Tyler Rogers deal. He has made two starts since the deadline and allowed just two earned runs, with 16 strikeouts in 10 innings. Tidwell has shown a nasty breaking ball and 98 mph fastball. He could be next in line when the Giants need another starter. 

One Is All It Takes

Dominic Smith got just one at-bat Tuesday, but he took advantage. Smith pulled a two-strike fastball from David Morgan into right field, loading the bases in the bottom of the sixth. He was hitting for Fitzgerald and he was immediately replaced by pinch-runner Drew Gilbert. 

The single extended Smith’s hitting streak to 15 games, and it was the third time that he kept the streak going as a pinch-hitter. According to Sportradar, Smith became just the second Giant to have three pinch-hits during a streak of at least 15 games. Hall of Famer Bill Terry had three pinch-hits during his own 15-game hitting streak for the New York Giants in 1936. 

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The Dodgers finally had their storybook moment.

Until the Angels rewrote it with a walk-off ending.

In the top of the ninth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night, Shohei Ohtani lifted the Dodgers to the verge of a badly needed win, breaking a tie score with the kind of moment that could have jump-started the stretch run of their season.

With former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen on the mound, and a split crowd in Anaheim rising to its feet, Ohtani blasted a go-ahead home run deep to right field. He flipped his bat. The Dodgers’ dugout went wild. After so many recent blown leads and late-game meltdowns in recent weeks, the team was three outs away from finally turning the tide.

Instead, the Dodgers found yet a new way to crumble.

Once again, they let a winnable game go meekly by the wayside.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Angels tied the score after Alex Vesia gave up a leadoff single, a walk and an eventual Nolan Schanuel sacrifice fly.

Read more:More bad news for Dodgers' bullpen: Brock Stewart goes on the IL

In the bottom of the 10th, they sealed their fifth-straight victory over the Dodgers this season on Jo Adell’s big-bouncing, walk-off RBI single.

A 7-6 loss for the Dodgers, that sent their spiraling season to a new dismal low.

Now, the Dodgers have lost three in a row and 20 of 32 since July 4. Now, what was once a nine-game lead in the National League West has been completely obliterated. The Dodgers and San Diego Padres are tied atop the standings. The Padres will come to Dodger Stadium this weekend with all the momentum, where a scuffling Dodgers club will await them.

Tuesday featured many more deflating subplots for the club.

Emmet Sheehan gave up five runs in a five-inning start. The team erased one early two-run deficit, only to go down two runs again. The lineup left the bases loaded with the score tied to end the top of the fifth inning. Ohtani lined into a soul-crushing triple-play with two aboard in the sixth.

But nothing will sting like the final two innings — when a potential turning-point moment instead resulted in more familiar heartache.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

It was a great win for the Mets on Tuesday night. Not only did they snap their seven-game losing streak, but Pete Alonsobroke the franchise home run record. However, it didn't turn into a laugher until after starter Clay Holmes was out of the game.

Holmes did not factor into the decision after going just 3.2 innings and allowing five runs, and that's after being staked to a 5-1 lead. It was going smoothly for Holmes at first, too. He allowed one run through the first three innings, but then he imploded in the fourth inning, and as quickly as the Citi Field crowd was excited for Alonso's record-breaking blast, they were silenced after the Braves scored four runs to tie the game.

"Fourth inning, a couple of guys got on, walk to load the bases. Just getting into bad counts," Holmes explained after the game. "The sinker had been working, got a couple of groundballs, and in a situation where you have to trust it. Probably starting getting a little too fine and [Nacho Alvarez Jr.] hit the double. Situations, looking back, I just have to keep going. If they want to hit five singles in a row, let them do it. Can’t put myself in bad counts and help them out. That inning, I wasn’t able to stop it because I was shying away from the contact."

Manager Carlos Mendoza acknowledged Holmes' struggles on Tuesday, saying the right-hander had trouble landing the sinker for strikes and missing pitches arm side, which the Braves took advantage of in the form of five walks allowed. 

For a team with World Series aspirations, the starting rotation continues to be a problem and Holmes perpetuated that on Tuesday. He continued the team's inability to get length from starters not named David Peterson and Holmes, who is a converted reliever, did not do his team any favors. Mendoza said when he pulled his starter in the fourth inning, he didn't know how he'd piece together the rest of the game because the team didn't have four arms in the bullpen because of their usage over the weekend in Milwaukee -- thankfully, Justin Hagenman provided four shutout innings to close the game.  

Holmes' performance put his team in a bad spot, and it's no surprise considering his recent downward trajectory.

He hasn't recorded an out in the sixth inning since mid-July and allowed 19 runs (16 earned) in 29.1 innings in July. So far in August, he's allowed seven earned runs in just 8.2 innings pitched. 

Could Holmes be hitting a wall with the number of innings he's pitched this season? Including Tuesday's start, Holmes has pitched 126 innings, almost doubling his previous career high of 70 innings back in 2021. 

When asked whether Holmes' workload is contributing to his recent performance, Mendoza couldn't say one way or the other.

"When you have a night like tonight, you will always start questioning," Mendoza said. "He’s coming off an outing where [he pitched] five innings, [threw] 75 [pitches]. Pitch-efficient. He keeps saying he’s fine and we see the sinker is 96 mph, we’re seeing the movement, he just had a hard time throwing that pitch for strikes. We’ll continue to check on him. We’ll continue to make sure we’re not missing anything, but he’s a big part of this team."

Before the trade deadline, the Mets didn't feel it necessary to move Holmes to the bullpen. Mendoza and president of baseball operations David Stearns have maintained that stance since, but changed course with another arm in the rotation.

The team decided to move Frankie Montas to the bullpen before Tuesday's game and could call up one of their pitching prospects (Nolan McLean/Brandon Sproat) to start on Saturday. Could the same happen with Holmes if his struggles continue? 

It's unclear, but it's a situation to monitor after every Holmes start from here on out.