"I just want to keep working hard and helping my team win" - New York Mets Pete Alonso after learning he is the second-fastest player to 125 career home runs in league history

New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso is in prime form this season. The former All-Star leads the National League with 19 homers and the MLB in RBI with 63. All of this while batting .279/.360/.547.

Alonso has been instrumental in the Mets' rise to the top of the National League. Currently, the Queens-based squad sports a 44-23 record, the best in the NL.

In Friday night's game against the Miami Marlins at Citi Field, the 27-year-old capped a seven-run inning by the Mets with a grandslam. New York demolished the Miami, 10-4.

"PETE ALONSO GRAND SALAMI 🥪 SEVEN runs in the inning for the Mets‼️ (via @Mets)" - @ Pete Alonso

It was Alonso's second home run of the year and a historic one at that. He became the second fastest-player to achieve 125 home runs in his career. "Polar Bear" did the feat in just 435 games.

The fastest to ever complete the feat was Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard, who did it in 405 games. Aaron Judge, on the other hand, sits in third place doing it in 447 games.

"Pete Alonso on being the second-fastest person to 125 career home runs in MLB history: 'I just want to keep working hard and helping my team win.'" - @ SNY

In an interview after the game, Alonso stated that he didn't even realize he had achieved such an accomplishment. He remained steadfast in his duty to help the team and seemed more focused on helping them get back to the playoffs this year.

Pete Alonso is having an MVP-worthy season

If not for the brilliant campaign that St. Louis Cardinal and fellow first baseman Paul Goldscmidt is currently having, Alonso would surely be a frontrunner in the National League MVP races.

He currently sits fifth among all National League batters in terms of OPS and leads them in home runs. Alonso has also led all of the majors in RBI so far.

"Pete Alonso this season .284/.365/.586, 19 HRs, 63 RBI, 155 wRC+, Polar Bear on a Mission, @GottaBelievePod" - @ Starting 9

What's been even more impressive about him is the level of strikeouts he has taken. He has reduced his punchout percentage to under 20% so far. He has been consistent at the plate and will be instrumental in the New York Mets' push toward a possible October-postseason appearance this season.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Windy Goodloe