NEW YORK (AFP) — Pete Alonso crushed a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning as the New York Mets worked their comeback magic in a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers to advance in the Major League Baseball playoffs on Thursday.
The victory gave the Mets a 2-1 triumph in the best-of-three National League (NL) Wild Card series and sent them into a best-of-five second-round clash with the Philadelphia Phillies starting on Saturday.
New York, who booked their post-season berth with a come-from-behind victory over Atlanta in a make-up game on Monday, showed their grit again.
Alonso was the hero, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit a go-ahead home run with his team trailing in the ninth inning or later in a winner-take-all playoff game.
“I was just looking out over the middle of the plate, just looking to hit something hard forward,” Alonso said.
“Man, this is something that you practice in the backyard as a kid. I’m just happy to come through for the boys.”
The Mets trailed 2-0 after Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick belted back-to-back homers in the bottom of the seventh to break open a scoreless game.
Unable to make anything happen in the eighth, the Mets finally broke through against Brewers closer Devin Williams, who walked Francisco Lindor to open the ninth.
Williams struck out Mark Vientos, but Brandon Nimmo singled to put runners at first and third and bring Alonso to the plate.
“I had some great at-bats in front of me,” Alonso said.
“I’m really happy I got to come through for the team right there.”
“We’ve worked so hard all year to get to this point,” he added.
“I’m just so happy I was able to contribute.”
The Mets added one more run after Jesse Winker was hit by a pitch from Williams, stole second base and scored on a single by Starling Marte.
Mets starting pitcher Jose Quintana pitched six scoreless innings, giving up four hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
David Peterson pitched the ninth, giving up an opening single to Sal Frelick and striking out one before Brice Turang hit into a game-ending double play.
In the other NL Division Series opener on Saturday, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres, who swept the Atlanta Braves in two games in the wild card round.
It marks the fifth straight year that the Dodgers will face an NL West rival in the second round and the third time in five years that it’s the Padres.
In the American league, the Cleveland Guardians host the Detroit Tigers and the New York Yankees host the Kansas City Royals.
Like the Dodgers and Phillies, the Guardians and Yankees had first round byes.
The Tigers advanced with a two-game sweep of the Houston Astros and the Royals swept the Baltimore Orioles.