Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and the 2024 New York Mets achieved something the Darryl Strawberry teams of the 1980s and all previous teams could not: scoring double-digit runs in three straight games.
Alonso, Nimmo, Mark Vientos, and Francisco Alvarez all hit home runs in a 10-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night, following their earlier wins of 10-1 and 10-0 against the Washington Nationals.
This was the 9,963rd regular-season game in the Mets’ 63-year history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. “Sick,” Alonso said.
A team that relied on great pitchers like Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, and Jacob deGrom now ranks fourth in the majors with 740 runs—just one more than the Phillies.
“It’s pretty amazing that the Mets have played over 10,000 games and we’re the first ones to do this,” Nimmo said, rounding up. “That’s pretty special.”
New York has won four games in a row and 16 of their last 20, holding a two-game lead over Atlanta for the final wild-card spot in the National League. They improved to 61-33 after starting the season 24-35.
They are achieving this without star shortstop Francisco Lindor, who has been out since Sunday due to a sore back.
“We know we’re good,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We’re capable of having games like that.”
Vientos and Alonso gave the team a 2-0 lead with home runs in the first inning against Taijuan Walker, who allowed a career-high four home runs.
After Trea Turner hit a two-run homer off Luis Severino to tie the game in the third, Nimmo responded with a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning.
Alvarez then hit a three-run homer in a five-run fourth inning that hit the plexiglass of the second-deck restaurant in left field. Nimmo added an RBI double and scored on a single by Vientos.
Rookie Luisangel Acuña, brother of Atlanta star Ronald Acuña Jr., brought in the 10th run with an RBI triple in the seventh inning off José Alvarado.
“We’ve had that trust and belief in each other all year, and I think now it’s just coming into fruition, coming to light a little bit more,” Alonso said.
Mets home attendance dropped by about 300,000 compared to last year, affected by the summer 2023 trades of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander and a slow start this season.
“When Citi’s a vibe and a fun place to play, we totally feed off that,” Alonso said. After Wednesday’s win, Nimmo called for fans to fill Citi Field.
“Mets fans, we need you guys to fill this place up!” he shouted in an on-field interview that was heard throughout the ballpark.
“This place needs to be rockin’ on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday! We need your help! We need everybody to get out here! We need this place full! This is playoff baseball. This is what you guys want. Let’s go! Let’s go Mets!”
A crowd of 35,982 attended, the largest at Citi Field since a Subway Series game against the Yankees in late June.
“It was great energy and a playoff-type atmosphere. Very thankful for that,” Nimmo said. “We need more of it as we go down this stretch and into this weekend. We fed off of it.”
There are just three home games left before a trip to Atlanta and Milwaukee to finish the regular season.
“The more positive energy and the more people that are creating that hostile environment for the road team, I think that just helps us play better,” Alonso said. “It’s infectious.”
