PHOENIX — Pete Alonso believed from a young age that he was an equal with Mike Piazza and the Mets, so tying the Hall of Fame catcher for third place on the franchise’s all-time home run list was an almost surreal accomplishment, according to the first baseman.
That blast happened on Tuesday against the Diamondbacks when Alonso hit his 220th home run.
“(Piazza) is one of my childhood heroes,” Alonso said before the Mets’ 8-5 loss to the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. “It’s kind of crazy because the inner kid in me, every athlete has that, and the inner kid in me goes, ‘Wow.’ And then the baseball player, athlete, competitor in me just goes, ‘I’m just really lucky because I try to help my team and I like to contribute.'”
The franchise record is held by Darryl Strawberry with 252 home runs. Next is David Wright with 242.
Alonso, who is set to become a free agent after the season, said any thoughts of signing Strawberry will have to wait.
“Those are things I’ve definitely thought about, but those are more things I’ll have to think about in the offseason – just knowing where I am on the list is special,” said Alonso, who went 0-for-3 with an RBI on a sacrifice fly.
“Darryl Strawberry, David Wright and Mike Piazza, these guys mean so much to the organization.”
Alonso said his Mets Mount Rushmore (he named five players instead of four) consists of Strawberry, Wright, Piazza, Tom Seaver and Jacob deGrom.
Carlos Mendoza said Sunday that the Mets are trying to add more speed and versatility to their roster by adding an outfielder and a pitcher to the team for September.
Luisangel Acuna, who played second baseman, shortstop and center field at Triple-A Syracuse, certainly fits Mendoza’s description.
Acuna’s resume includes 34 stolen bases this season.
Brandon Nimmo batted fourth for the second time on the road and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
The struggling Nimmo put in a solid performance on Tuesday, scoring 3 of 5 goals against the D’backs.
