'The magic of the postseason': Alonso homers on pitch barely 1 foot off ground

NEW YORK -- With the Mets in need of a timely knock, Pete Alonso dug deep on Friday at Citi Field.

Alonso crushed a three-run first-inning homer on Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty’s slider, which was 1.12 feet off the ground, the lowest pitch taken deep in the postseason since 2015. With the Mets facing elimination in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series, they jumped out to their first lead since the NLCS moved to Queens.

New York went on to outslug Los Angeles, 12-6, to force a Game 6 on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.

Alonso's drive was the second-lowest pitch he has hit for a homer in his career. The only one lower was his ninth-inning shot on April 4 of this year (1.07 feet off the ground) to help the Mets avoid starting the season 0-6.

“Over a million swings lifetime and just trying to [get] over, I don't know,” Alonso said. “It's just the course of -- honestly, it's inexplainable. It's the magic of the postseason. And I'm just happy I squared it up.”

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Here are the Statcast metrics on the blast:

• 1.12 feet pitch height (lowest since Daniel Murphy’s NLCS Game 2 tater in 2015 -- 893 postseason homers ago)
• Projected 432 feet (longest homer by a Met in the postseason since at least 2015)
• 113.2 mph exit velocity (Mets' second-hardest hit in the postseason since 2015)

“He’s a good player,” Flaherty said. “I saw him go down and get a changeup and do the same thing with it when I was with Detroit. There’s a reason why he’s good at what he does. You just tip your cap and make a better pitch.”

The clutch hit snapped the Mets’ 0-for-17 stretch with runners in scoring position and woke up Alonso from his slumber. The Polar Bear had been 2-for-15 with no extra-base hits, six strikeouts and three walks through the first four games of the series. He reached base four times and scored four runs on Friday.

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Alonso, a pending free agent who might have just played his final game in a Mets uniform at Citi Field, is tied with Mike Piazza for second in franchise history with five career postseason homers, behind only Murphy (seven). Three of those have come in elimination games -- most in club history -- including his dramatic go-ahead shot off Brewers closer Devin Williams in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series.

“Honestly, I was just looking for something over the middle of the plate,” Alonso said of Friday’s homer. “I mean, I didn't really realize how low the pitch was. I got caught a little out front. But location-wise, it was low, but it was still over the middle of the plate. And I'm just really happy I could come through right there for the fellas.

“I'm just so happy because this group is so special. And I'm happy that we get to live to fight another day and play another game of baseball together.”