Alonso’s power push continues as the free agent clock ticks

NEW YORK – The day began with fans wondering if this would be the last game for Pete Alonso as a member of the New York Mets, his final game in that uniform at City Field, his home for his first six years Major League career.

But baseball is a crazy game and unpredictable at best. The Los Angeles Dodgers had a chance to tie the game in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.

Instead, Alonso, an impending free agent, took matters into his own hands. His three-run home run against Dodger starter Jack Flaherty with one out in the first inning brought the Mets back from the brink and they cruised to a 12-6 victory.

“I’m glad I got through this point, but it was a total team effort,” said Alonso.

It may still have been Alonso’s last game as a Met in New York, but the club still has life and trails 3-2 in the best-of-seven series with Game 6 on Sunday and possibly Game 7 on Monday at the Dodger Stadium to decide which team goes to the World Series. No matter who they played, the New York Yankees or the Cleveland Guardians, the Mets would once again host the middle three games of the series at Citi Field.

That would give Alonso another chance to play in front of the rabid New York fans.

“I just focused on competing and trying to win, do this thing in Game 6 and contribute as best I could. That’s pretty much it,” Alonso said. “That’s what this postseason is about. It’s about winning. It’s about surviving and seeing another day until there’s no baseball left.”

Alonso has made no secret of his desire to remain with the Mets, although his agent Scott Boras said early in the playoffs that they had not had discussions about the matter with team executives. It’s an offseason discussion that might come soon enough for the Mets.

“He will have free rein,” Boras said. “We will speak to all teams as usual.”

That it might have been Alonso’s last game as a Met was not part of his manager’s pre-game equation.

“I don’t see it that way,” Carlos Mendoza said. “No one here sees it that way. The way we look at it is we have to go out and win a baseball game.”

Two years ago, when Aaron Judge hit free agency with the New York Yankees, manager Aaron Boone made it pretty clear that he hoped the slugger wouldn’t leave, and made it known publicly.

When it was announced at this year’s Winter Meetings in San Diego that Judge appeared to be on his way to the San Francisco Giants, Boone saw the news on social media and called general manager Brian Cashman in a panic. Equally panicked, Cashman called principal owner Hal Steinbrenner, who was vacationing in Europe.

Steinbrenner famously pulled over to the side of the road and called Judge.

“Do you want to play for the Yankees?” Steinbrenner asked, and when Richter said yes, he added, “So what will it take to sign you?”

“You have to match what the Giants have to offer,” Judge said.

And so they agreed to Judge’s nine-year, $360 million contract. Steinbrenner agreed to make him captain as part of the deal.

“All the tea leaves that day and the uncertainty that came with it, it was a bit of an unpleasant, dark, uncertain day,” Boone said at the time.

How Alfonso’s situation will be resolved still needs to be clarified. But Mendoza made it clear that this is a matter between owner Steve Cohen and David Stearns, the club’s recently hired president of baseball operations.

“We have a really good opportunity to continue playing baseball and that’s what we’re going to do. … To be honest, it didn’t cross my mind,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza was Boone’s replacement coach when the Judge situation was discussed, and unlike Alonso, Judge made it clear he wanted to test the market.

It wasn’t Mendoza’s problem back then either.

“I wasn’t the manager when Judge went through that, but as a coach it never crossed my mind when I was there,” he remembers. “Our job was to win this game and let the rest take its course. Same here. Our job is to go out and play, win today and just keep it going and see what happens.”

Alonso was a big factor in the Mets getting this far. He already has four home runs this postseason, including the Wild Card Series winner in the ninth inning as the Mets faced elimination in Milwaukee and a pair that gave them a National League Division Series victory against the Philadelphia Phillies. Now he has appeared in another elimination game, this one against the Dodgers.

The Mets have come off the mat many times this season, although Alonso hit .240 with 34 home runs and a career-low .788 OPS. His 226 career home runs for the Mets rank third on the all-time list and, at 252, are within striking distance of No. 1 prospect Darryl Strawberry when he returns next season.

But that’s a story for next year. This is a story about what the Mets can accomplish now.

“That’s what we want. We just want to keep this thing alive, keep it going,” Alonso said. “It’s a very special team and just being able to celebrate with everyone is just great because it really is an incredible group.”