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Pete Alonso slugged his 52nd home run of the season on Friday, tying the major league record for most homers by a rookie. Alonso hit the blast off Dallas Keuchel of the Atlanta Braves in the first inning to draw even with Aaron Judge of the Yankees, who set the record in 2017.
Alonso’s first 51 home runs came in meaningful games, but Friday’s was the second the Mets had played since they were eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday. With Jeff McNeil out after breaking his right arm on Wednesday, Mets Manager Mickey Callaway put Alonso, who had been batting third recently, back into the second spot for the second straight game.