Alonso just squeaks one over wall to set Citi Field HR record

NEW YORK -- Pete Alonso is known for crushing mammoth homers, but he broke a Mets record in New York's 6-4 loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday with a home run that just barely made it over the outfield wall.

Alonso broke a tie with Lucas Duda when he hit his 72nd home run at Citi Field, the most in the history of the ballpark, which opened in 2009. The homer, his MLB-leading 21st of the season, was a low liner to left field off Nate Pearson in the bottom of the sixth inning that required an umpire review after it hit right above the orange line at the top of the outfield wall.

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“That’s one hell of an accomplishment. It’s speaks of how good he is with the long ball,” teammate Tommy Pham said. “Two, this is a tough city, so setting a record like that shows an amount of consistency and longevity here. Kudos to him."

Alonso didn’t know what he accomplished until a member of the media informed him of that tidbit.

“That’s sick. That’s awesome. Hopefully, I hit more of them here,” Alonso said.

Alonso tied Duda with a grand slam off the Guardians' James Karinchak on May 19 at Citi Field.

The Polar Bear hasn’t been hitting much at Citi Field this year. He is batting .196 with nine home runs and 23 RBIs at home. But manager Buck Showalter emphasized how Alonso has been consistently playing well on defense even as his offensive numbers at home haven't been as high as he would like.

“We have stayed in some games on how well he has been playing first base,” Showalter said. “The things he did this offseason and the things he has worked at has shown up defensively for us. It has been good to see.”