LOS ANGELES — In about six weeks’ time, Pete Alonso will likely return to Dodger Stadium for the MLB All-Star Game, where he figures to be one of several Mets players elected to the National League team. On the eve of those festivities, Alonso will almost certainly participate in the Home Run Derby as well, considering both his love for that event and his status as a two-time defending champion.
Might as well sneak in a little practice while he has the chance. Alonso homered twice in Saturday night’s 9-4 win over the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, driving home five runs in a dominant performance that drew him even with Cleveland’s José Ramírez for the MLB RBI lead at 53.
“I don’t think we expect anything less,” Mets starter David Peterson said. “Ever since he came up, he’s put on a show.”
Batting in the third inning, Alonso pulled a go-ahead two-run homer over the left-field fence to knock Dodgers starter Walker Buehler out of the game. In the seventh, he swatted a 100 mph Brusdar Graterol fastball to the opposite field for a three-run homer that made a tight game decidedly less so. It was his third home run over the past two days.
Alonso’s 16 homers are tied with the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts for the most in the National League. He also moved into a tie for 10th place on the Mets’ all-time home run list with 122 for his career.
“Oh, that’s sick,” Alonso said of his place in franchise history. “I didn’t know that. I just want to keep it going.”
This has been a renaissance season for Alonso, who originally powered his way into the Mets’ plans with a 53-homer rookie season in 2019, before taking a noticeable step back in ’20 and a step forward last summer. This year, Alonso has played in all 55 of New York’s games, with an announced intention to try to appear in all 162. He could soon threaten the franchise record for consecutive games played, which has allowed him to concentrate his production.
At his current homer pace, Alonso could…