Pete Alonso, Mets take series in Miami as they defeat Marlins in extras

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Apr 2, 2025

Published in Baseball

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MIAMI — Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Pete Alonso saved the Mets with a late-game home run.

With the Mets down 4-1 to the Miami Marlins in the top of the eighth inning on Wednesday at LoanDepot Park, Alonso teed off on right-hander Calvin Faucher, sending a three-run homer 415 feet over the center-field fence to tie the game. It wasn’t quite his heroic, go-ahead shot in the ninth inning of a postseason game, but it was classic Polar Bear and it breathed new life into the Mets, who won 6-5 in 11 innings.

In the top of the 11th, the Mets loaded the bases on right-hander Xzavion Curry with no outs. Jesse Winker drew a four-pitch walk to take back the lead for the Mets. Mark Vientos, whose third-inning error resulted in the go-ahead run for Miami, hit a chopper to shortstop Xavier Edwards, who fumbled it for an error himself.

Alonso scored an insurance run that proved crucial when his former University of Florida teammate, left-hander Danny Young, gave up a run in bottom of the inning to cut the Mets’ lead to 1. Huascar Brazobán, who threw two huge innings only two nights prior, came in with runners on the corners and one out. He retired the next two to earn the save for the Mets, striking out Otto Lopez for the final out.

Alonso’s second homer of the series came after a relatively sloppy game by the Mets. In his second start, Clay Holmes was effectively wild, holding the Marlins to two runs (one earned) over 4 2/3 innings. Both runs came in the bottom of the third, an inning that featured a fly ball lost in the sun and some dismal defense.

Down 2-1 in the fifth, Reed Garrett replaced Holmes, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings to keep the game within reach. But then left-hander A.J. Minter was charged with two runs in the seventh, giving Miami a 4-1 lead.

In the top of the eighth with two out and two on, Juan Soto hit a ground ball to third base. Luis Torrens was thrown out at home, but Soto was safe. That brought up Alonso. He battled Faucher for nine pitches, going down 2-1 before looking at strike two. He fouled off four in a row before getting a fastball on the outside and drilling it 113.4 mph off the bat to dead center.

Suddenly, the Mets could do no wrong.

Edwards took a leadoff single off closer Edwin Diaz in the bottom of the inning, then promptly swiped second and made it to third on a wild pitch. Diaz struck out Kyle Stowers for the first out. Griffin Conine sent a grounder to Brett Baty at second base and Edwards broke for home, sliding in right as Torrens laid down the tag. He was called safe but the Mets challenged, and the call was overturned. The game remained tied 4-4.

Conine then tried to steal second and Torrens threw him out.

Jose Butto held the Marlins scoreless through the next two innings, with Francisco Lindor throwing out the automatic runner at the plate for the second out in the 10th. It prevented a fourth walk-off win for the Fish.

Right-hander Connor Gillispie held the Mets to only one run on four hits over five innings of work, striking out six. Anthony Veneziano and Lake Bachar held the Mets scoreless over two innings in relief.

Alonso’s home run overshadowed one of the best moments of the game, when rookie catcher Hayden Senger recorded his first big league hit, taking a double off of Gillispie in the fifth. The 27-year-old who works at Whole Foods in the offseason took a 1-2 sweeper and drove it the other way to right field.

The Mets open the home slate Friday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays, with Soto set to make his long-awaited Citi Field debut.