Pete Alonso's home run in the top of 9 sends Mets into the NLDS through Brewers

MILWAUKEE – New York Mets star Pete Alonso struck out three runs and hit Devin Williams, the Milwaukee Brewers' closer, in the ninth inning on Thursday night as they face the Philadelphia Phillies.

With his team trailing 2-0, Alonso hit a 3-1 changeup to right field and stunned the home crowd at American Family Field as the Mets won a wild first-round series, two games to one against the Brewers.

“I was just looking for something over the plate,” Alonso said after the 4-2 win in which Jesse Winker scored a game-winning run. “I just really wanted to hit something hard across most of the field. I’m really glad I capitalized on it, really happy I capitalized on it.”

“It’s a really special moment.”

Alonso was 1 for 11 in the series before his big home run, including a double play after tripping over his bat while running to first base in Game 2. But he shook it all off and decided to move on to the next bit rather than dwell on his struggles. According to ESPN Research, he became the first major league player to hit a home run while trailing in the ninth inning or later of a winner-take-all postseason game.

A walk from Francisco Lindor, followed by a later single from Brandon Nimmo, set the stage for Alonso. He didn't miss his pitch.

“Especially in these big games you have to take the next step and make a positive impact, stay within yourself and do your best,” Alonso said.

Teammate JD Martinez added: “Everyone kind of felt like he was due. It's a big monkey of his. It was huge to get us up. … He did a great job and didn't do too much. Just point from A to B.

The blast came not long after the Brewers scored the game's first runs in the bottom of the seventh, on home runs by pinch hitter Jake Bauers and right fielder Sal Frelick. They came on two pitches in a row and sent Brewers fans into a frenzy.

It didn't take long.

The back-and-forth nature of the game mirrored that of the series as a whole. According to ESPN Research, in the last five postseasons, teams have taken a 39-2 eighth-inning lead with a chance to win a playoff series. The two losses came on Wednesday (the Mets) and Thursday (the Brewers) when each team blew the lead.

“It was a great series,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I’m so proud of this team.”

Alonso's heroics followed a masterful performance from Mets starter Jose Quintana, who pitched six shutout innings. He and Brewers rookie Tobias Myers battled each other pitch for pitch and gave up no runs during the game.

“Tobias put zeros, so I knew I had to do it,” Quintana said, drenched in champagne from the Mets’ celebration. “Then Pete did his thing at exactly the right time. I’m so proud of him.”

Alonso will be a free agent after the season, which has been extended for at least three more games. He has played in all 165 games the Mets have played in this year, hitting 34 home runs during the regular season and now a big home run in the postseason.

Despite being available every day, Alonso didn't have his best year as his OPS dropped to a career-low .788. He will still be wanted in November.

Meanwhile, in the ninth inning, Mets owner Steve Cohen anxiously watched on a clubhouse television as his first baseman hit Williams to the deep, hearing the crowd before seeing the home run.

“It was a delay,” Cohen said with a laugh. “But man, he got through it. So proud of him.”

Cohen said similar things about his team, which played a regular-season doubleheader on Monday to get into the postseason, then won Game 1 in Milwaukee on Tuesday before losing on Wednesday and ultimately winning the series on Thursday.

How about this graduation! Hollywood couldn't write a better script. I'm so proud of this team. On to Philly

— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) October 4, 2024

“It feels like we’ve been going for a month,” Martinez joked.

The Mets will continue that journey, playing Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-five division series in Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday.

New York went 6-7 against the Phillies in the regular season and finished six games behind them in the division standings. According to ESPN Research, the 1,081 all-time meetings between the teams are the most between two franchises without a playoff matchup since 1962.

Without Alonso's home run there will never be a duel.

“We support each other here,” he said. “Tonight it was my turn. Tomorrow belongs to someone else.”