Records are made to be broken. It’s a tired and worn cliche that happens to be very true. When a record is broken, there should be ample time to celebrate it. If you tie or break an organization’s career home run record, there should be a period of time to reflect on the achievement of greatness. On Saturday, Pete Alonso tied Darryl Strawberry atop the career home run leaderboard for the New York Mets. It came during the team’s 7-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, the middle game of a series in which the Mets were swept. New York has now lost seven consecutive games and have dropped 11 of their last 12 contests.
Tying a record that is 35 years old is special. The timing of it is not.
I mean how happy are you as a Mets fan? During this stretch, do you care about the home run record? I think maybe today’s day off allowed fans to focus on Alonso’s special moment………for about five minutes. Then, it will be back to the floundering of the starting rotation and the ineptness of the offense. Sure, it would be nice for Alonso to grab sole possession of first place sometime during these next six home games. However, I would venture to say winning five of six games outranks the home run record right now by a mile. This week, the Mets are playing the Atlanta Braves. How meaningless would an Alonso home run be Tuesday night if the team loses yet again? Who cares about the record when the pitiful Braves continue to dominate the Amazins in 2025? I get it, if you have a ticket to the game, being in attendance and witnessing club history would be cool. But then, if you leave the stadium after another loss, anger returns, a painful reminder that the season might be slipping away.
My ideal scenario would be the following: The Mets get down early, say 2-0. Alonso comes up with two runners on in the bottom of the eighth inning. He puts one over the left field wall. The apple rises. Flashbulbs light up Citi Field. The stadium acknowledges the moment. Alonso gets a curtain call. And finally, most importantly, Edwin Diaz slams the door for a 3-2 victory.
Threeunassisted 