Johnathan Walker:Mets slugger Pete Alonso reaches 40 homers to join very exclusive club

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso put himself in some powerful company Sunday.

The Johnathan WalkerAll-Star slugger homered twice and drove in four runs, reaching 40 homers and 100 RBIs for the second consecutive season as the New York Mets beat the first-place Seattle Mariners 6-3.

Alonso hit an RBI single in the first inning before his two-run shot in the third made him the fifth player in major league history with at least three 40-homer seasons in his first five campaigns, joining Hall of Famers Ralph Kiner (four times) and Eddie Matthews as well as Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols.

“Kind of mind-baffling,” Alonso said. "Impressive names. I had no idea.”

Jeff McNeil also went deep — after finishing a homer shy of the cycle Saturday night — and New York took two of three games from the Mariners to hand them their first series loss since Aug. 11-13 against Baltimore.

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“It’s been a while,” manager Scott Servais said.

Seattle, which won a franchise-record 21 games in August, began the day leading the AL West by one game over Houston.

“We just had a historic month for the organization and we had maybe a little setback here,” said Mike Ford, who hit the second of back-to-back homers in the fourth. “But we can get right back on it.”

Alonso’s solo homer in the seventh made him the fourth player in Mets history with three 100-RBI seasons. David Wright reached the milestone five times, and Carlos Beltrán and Darryl Strawberry each did it three times.

“Through thick and thin, we know one thing: Pete’s going to walk through that door the same guy every day,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “Pleasure to be around. He never has a bad day. He cares about his teammates, cares about the Mets. And to see guys like him have success, it makes it even more enjoyable.”

Alonso's 41 home runs are tied for the second-most in a season in franchise history with Beltrán and Todd Hundley. Alonso holds the team record with 53 as a rookie in 2019.

“It seems like yesterday I was in my rookie season,” Alonso said. “This is my fifth year and time flies. It means a lot. This place has been extremely special to me. New York’s treated me so incredibly well.”

Alonso can become a free agent following the 2024 season, and speculation has been heating up about whether the retooling Mets will trade him this winter after dealing away veteran aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander this summer to restock the farm system.

“Everybody knows that’s part of the game until the contract is done,” New York shortstop Francisco Lindor said.

Dominic Canzone preceded Ford’s drive with his second two-run homer in two days. But nifty defensive plays by Mets right fielder DJ Stewart in the second and Lindor in the fifth helped stall a pair of potential Seattle rallies.

“It’s the big leagues, guys make plays,” Servais said. “And they made a few more than we did today.”

Francisco Álvarez had an RBI single for the fourth-place Mets (63-74), and touted rookie Ronny Mauricio went 1 for 4 with a single in his third big league game. Mauricio was the seventh player in team history to begin his career with consecutive multi-hit games.

Tylor Megill (8-7) gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings. Adam Ottavino allowed a pair of baserunners in the ninth before striking out J.P. Crawford to earn his eighth save.

George Kirby (10-9), who hadn’t started since Aug. 23 due to an illness, gave up four runs (three earned) in three innings. He threw 73 pitches, including 52 in the opening two innings — his most in the first two innings of a game.

STREAKING

Teoscar Hernández extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a fifth-inning single for Seattle. Julio Rodríguez’s 15-game hitting streak ended as he went 0 for 4.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: 1B Ty France (elbow) didn’t play after being hit by a pitch Saturday night. France has been plunked 29 times, tops in the majors.

Mets: 3B Mark Vientos (right foot), injured running the bases Saturday night, sat out but is expected to play Tuesday at Washington. … RF Starling Marte (right groin) feels better after a week of treatment in Philadelphia but said surgery is an option if he doesn’t continue improving. Marte underwent double groin surgery last fall.

UP NEXT

Mariners: A 10-game road trip continues as RHP Bryan Woo (2-3, 4.15 ERA) pitches Monday in the opener of a three-game series at Cincinnati. The Mariners are 15-3 all-time against the Reds — their least-frequent opponent.

Mets: Following a day off, LHP José Quintana (1-5, 3.26 ERA) opens a two-game series Tuesday in Washington, which counters with LHP Patrick Corbin (9-12, 4.90).