ATLANTA — Hit the ball into the water and win a prize: a seat on the bench.
Such was Pete Alonso’s situation Friday, a day after the Mets rookie launched a 454-foot homer over the center-field fence into a pond at SunTrust Park. The blast, at 118.3 mph in exit velocity, was the hardest-hit homer by somebody other than Giancarlo Stanton or Aaron Judge in the five-season history of Statcast.
Dominic Smith started at first base, and went 2-for-4 with a walk in the Mets’ 6-2 victory over the Braves.
“I feel like I’m back to what got me here,” said Smith, who has posted a 1.