Alonso ties Piazza on Mets' home run list in win over Arizona

PHOENIX – Heading into free agency now just over a month away, Pete Alonso added another to his long list of historic franchise accomplishments Tuesday night.

His home run in the second inning of the Mets' 8-3 victory over the Diamondbacks was the 220th of his career, putting him joint third on the organization's all-time list with Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.

The only names ahead of them are Darryl Strawberry (252) and David Wright (242), both of whom have played hundreds more games for the club than Alonso. But Alonso will almost certainly remain at number three when he hits the open market in the offseason.

“Mike was a hero of mine growing up, so this is pretty special. He was one of the guys I looked up to,” Alonso said. “I'm just glad I was able to make a positive contribution tonight, get some good batting opportunities and get us on the scoreboard early. That's really cool. Really, really cool.”

That home run and the info that went with it served as a reminder of what the Mets would be paying for if they and Alonso agreed to a long-term contract: the rest of the career (or at least most of the rest of the career) of one of their best players of all time. Reliable performance at first base, plus a chart-climbing, record-breaking homegrown hitter. A face of the franchise, plus a legacy for player and team.

“It's something I don't really like to think about during the season,” Alonso said of his place in Mets history. “Those certain moments really occur during the offseason. That's when I have time to think and reflect on some things. That moment is really special, but I don't think it's going to happen until the end of the season.”

Of course, it would help Alonso if he and the Mets could find a way to make the playoffs, something they have only done once in his five seasons in the major leagues.

With a win over Arizona (75-57), which entered the game on a six-game winning streak and its best record since the All-Star break, the Mets remained three games behind Atlanta for the final wild-card spot in the National League with 30 games remaining in 33 days.

The Mets (69-63) took a six-run lead in the fifth inning and began the series with five consecutive hits, including an RBI single by Francisco Alvarez, his first hit since his walk-off home run against the Orioles on Aug. 19. He had previously gone 0-for-17.

They reached right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (8-7) for eight runs (six earned) in 4 2/3 innings, the last of which went to left-hander Jordan Montgomery, the former Yankee who was so bad for the D-backs – they signed him in late March – that they recently demoted him to long reliever.

Montgomery forced runs with a hit batsman (Tyrone Taylor) with the bases loaded and a walk (Jeff McNeil) with the bases loaded. Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo's fielding error on Alvarez's grounder – Perdomo's third error of the inning – gave the Mets an eight-run lead.

“When you put the ball in play, good things happen,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “The defense has to make some plays. We had a few lucky moments there, but we continued to throw some really good at-bats.”

Left-hander Sean Manaea (10-5) continued his strong run with 6 2/3 innings (three runs). He struck out 11 players, issued no walks and worked a shutout until the seventh inning. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Corbin Carroll hit home runs against Manaea before Mendoza took him out of the game.

Last month, Manaea posted a 2.87 ERA in six starts.

Manaea has had four games with double-digit strikeouts this season. The other Mets have one (Luis Severino against the Cubs in June).

“Amazing. Unbelievable,” Mendoza said. “It feels like he's getting better and better as the season goes on… It's unbelievable what he's done. He's been great for us all year. He's pretty much carried this rotation, him along with [Severino]. Huge. I'm proud of him.”

Alonso described Manaea as someone who “absolutely dismembers” the opponent’s lineups.

“I don't know,” Manaea said. “I just feel good.”

Tim Healey is the Mets reporter for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of Hometown Hardball, a book about minor league baseball in the Northeast.