New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso became the first National League rookie to hit 40 homers in a season when he went deep during Sunday’s 11-5 victory over the host Kansas City Royals.
Alonso’s ninth-inning blast to left field broke a tie with Cody Bellinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bellinger set the mark with 39 in 2017.
“It’s crazy,” Alonso told reporters after the victory. “I just gotta go back to the days of spring training when I didn’t know if I was gonna make the team out of camp or not. I’m just extremely thankful for this opportunity, and this has been such an incredible year. I just wanna keep building and help this team win.”
Alonso is the first Mets’ player to reach 40 since Carlos Beltran belted 41 in 2006. Beltran and Todd Hundley (1996) share the franchise record.
Alonso went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs in Sunday’s win. The All-Star is batting .271 with 95 RBIs.
Aaron Judge (52 in 2017) holds the major league mark for most homers by a rookie.
