What to Know
- Mets slugger Pete Alonso has become the first rookie in 81 years to break his team's season home run record
- Alonso launched his 42nd of the season on off Cubs' Yu Darvish in the fourth inning Tuesday night, a no-doubter to right field
- Todd Hundley in 1996 and Carlos Beltran a decade later hit 41 homers for New York
Mets slugger Pete Alonso has become the first rookie in 81 years to break his team's season home run record.
Alonso launched his 42nd of the season on the first pitch from Chicago Cubs right-hander Yu Darvish in the fourth inning Tuesday night, a no-doubt drive to the opposite field that soared far beyond the fence in right.
The big first baseman raised his right arm and index finger as he began rounding the bases, then flashed a bright smile in the dugout before coming out for a curtain call.
Todd Hundley in 1996 and Carlos Beltran a decade later hit 41 homers for New York.
In July, Alonso won the All-Star Home Run Derby in Cleveland.
Johnny Rizzo was the previous major league rookie to claim sole possession of his club's home run record when he hit 23 for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1938. Rizzo's franchise mark was matched by Hall of Famer and former Mets broadcaster Ralph Kiner in 1946.
