MIAMI -- It wasn¡¯t quite the same as Citi Field, but still, loanDepot park had a certain aura percolating the atmosphere as Pete Alonso rounded the bases following a fifth-inning grand slam in Monday night's 10-4 win against the Marlins.
Alonso showed the hordes of Mets fans on hand he was on the verge of breaking out of his 1-for-10 slump to begin the season with a single in the third inning. He followed that up with the mammoth moonshot for his first homer of the season on his way to finishing 2-for-4.
¡°It [feels good],¡± Alonso said. ¡°It¡¯s a long time without hitting one, and to finally do it in a big league game, feels pretty cool.¡±
He added with a laugh: ¡°We can do it, still."
The 30-year-old superstar went oppo-taco to right field with a Statcast-projected 400-foot homer. It came off his bat with an exit velocity of 105.9 mph, which was actually the second-hardest-hit ball of Alonso¡¯s evening behind his 109.6 mph single.
But that didn¡¯t set the Mets¡¯ high mark on the night. That honor belonged to third baseman Mark Vientos, who corkscrewed a double to left that clocked in at 110.4 mph. The Mets finished off the rout of Miami with 16 hard-hit balls (exit velocity of 95 mph or higher), six more than their previous high on the young season.
They clubbed four homers (Starling Marte, Luis Torrens and Brandon Nimmo added big flies), quadrupling the total they posted in their three-game opening series in Houston. While Alonso's slam was certainly the biggest of the night, Torrens' homer was perhaps the most unique of the young 2025 Major League season. The must-see shot to straightaway center cleared the wall only after the ball deflected off the glove of center fielder Derek Hill, who appeared to tip it over the fence for Torrens' first home run of the season.
Meanwhile, pitching remained a positive trend for the squad. Left-hander David Peterson was superb in his start on the bump, striking out nine and allowing just two runs (on two solo homers) in six innings of work. He fanned Miami hitters with a feverish pace to begin the game, recording seven K's in the first three innings.
But the story of the day was the Mets¡¯ affinity for the long ball, and none was larger than Alonso¡¯s slam off Marlins starter Cal Quantrill.
¡°Cal, he threw -- he tried to throw his best offspeed stuff,¡± Alonso said of the seven-pitch at-bat. ¡°And I did a good job of laying off those pitches -- those breaking pitches -- and worked my way into getting a fastball. And got it over the plate.¡±
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza praised Alonso's plate discipline early in the season, noting that he drew four walks during the Houston series.
¡°That Pete [at-bat] was a really good one, he earned that pitch on that grand slam,¡± Mendoza said. ¡°Laid off a slider first pitch, trying to make him chase, then they painted fastballs at the knees, trying to get a ground ball there. Then, finally, the last pitch, he was able to do some damage, and he got the big one.¡±
It was Alonso¡¯s first jack of the season, and marked the latest chapter in a dominant storybook for him at loanDepot park, where he¡¯s sent 13 balls over the wall in 43 games. Meanwhile, the former Florida Gator has belted 28 homers in 91 games against the Marlins -- the most by any Mets player against Miami. Those 28 homers are also tied -- with himself -- for the second-most by any player against a single opponent since 2019. Aaron Judge leads the way with 32 vs. the O's, while Alonso has 28 against both the Nationals and Marlins.
Alonso, who hit 34 home runs last season in his third straight All-Star season (fourth overall), is hoping to make the long ball a trend as he vies for a long-term contract this season.
He¡¯s been the subject of intense speculation after a lengthy standoff with Mets brass that ultimately resulted in him signing a two-year, $54 million deal in February. The newly-inked contract holds a player option for 2026.
Alonso signed three consecutive one-year deals with the Mets (two to avoid arbitration) from 2022-2024, and despite testing free-agent waters this winter, he¡¯s always maintained his desire to be in New York. If that¡¯s to be the case, Alonso likely wants long-term stability and a hefty salary (he reportedly turned down a seven-year, $158 million extension in 2024).
In many ways, that makes 2025 a prove-it year for Alonso. At 30 years old, he¡¯s still got plenty left in the tank, and he's stayed remarkably healthy throughout his career. He¡¯s played at least 150 games in each of his five full big league seasons -- and played 57 of 60 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
If he can continue to put together performances like the one on Monday night, it'll certainly help his case.
¡°Honestly, we just had great team at-bats the entire game,¡± Alonso said. ¡±I think that big [seven-run inning], it all started with Luisangel Acu?a ¡ him getting that leadoff single to [Jose Siri] hitting that double, and then Juan [Soto] and Starling [Marte] having great at-bats.
"I mean, that set up the whole thing. You can¡¯t have that big inning without quality at-bats, and we did that throughout the entire game.¡±