Just one day after he tied Aaron Judge’s single-season rookie home run record, Mets phenom Pete Alonso broke away with home run no. 53 to establish himself as the all-time rookie home run leader.
The historic moment came in the bottom of the third inning of Saturday’s game against the Braves, close on the heels of Rene Rivera’s own two-run blast against Braves righty Mike Foltynewicz. With the bases empty and two outs, Alonso worked a 2-1 count against the right-hander, then clocked a 414-footer out to the right field stands for his record-setting 53rd home run of the year.
❄️🐻❄️🐻 ❄️🐻❄️🐻
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 29, 2019
🐻 ❄️
❄️ 🐻
🐻❄️🐻❄️ 🐻❄️🐻❄️
🐻 🐻
❄️ ❄️
❄️🐻❄️🐻 ❄️🐻❄️🐻 pic.twitter.com/v7gUjhzDNQ
As MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo pointed out minutes later, Alonso’s jaw-dropping record doesn’t just set him apart from his peers, but from all MLB players:
Don't overlook how rare it is for a player -- any player, not just a rookie -- to hit 53 home runs. Only nine men have done it in National League history:
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 29, 2019
-Pete Alonso
-Barry Bonds
-Luis Gonzalez
-Ryan Howard
-Ralph Kiner
-Mark McGwire
-Sammy Sosa
-Giancarlo Stanton
-Hack Wilson
Of those nine, only five have hit 53 or more home runs in a single season since 2001. Giancarlo Stanton was the last to do it, eclipsing Alonso’s mark with 59 home runs for the Marlins in 2017. Surpassing the all-time record still presents a significant challenge, however, as no one’s come anywhere close to Barry Bonds’ 73-homer record since he set it with the Giants back in 2001.
