Prior to tonight, no New York Mets player has ever hit 42 home runs in a single season. That changed in the fourth inning of tonight’s game against the Chicago Cubs, when rookie first baseman Pete Alonso crushed his 42nd homer of the season.
Alonso hit the record-breaking shot on a first-pitch fastball that he drove into the bullpen in right-center field. The blast broke the ice and put the Mets ahead by a run. He accomplished the feat in his 554th plate appearance of the year. Todd Hundley originally set the mark at 41 in the 1996 season, an Carlos Beltran tied him by hitting 41 in 2006.