Alonso pulls within 1 homer of Strawberry, but Mets fall to Guardians after comeback bid
NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso hit his 251st career homer Monday night to pull within one of Darryl Strawberry’s New York Mets franchise record, but the Cleveland Guardians earned a 7-6, 10-inning win after squandering a five-run lead.
Gabriel Arias’ 440-foot, three-run homer to left-center ended a five-run sixth inning against Sean Manaea, who surrendered RBI singles to David Fry and Carlos Santana earlier in the inning.
Alonso, starting at designated hitter for the 59th time in his career, hit a 388-foot blast to left-center in the bottom half against Slade Cecconi. The slugger has three homers in his last four games.
Alonso had his fourth hit, an RBI single, in the eighth, before Mark Vientos delivered the game-tying sacrifice fly.
Cade Smith (4-4) escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth. Automatic runner Daniel Schneemann scored the tie-breaking run in the 10th, when third baseman Brett Baty threw the ball wide of second on David Fry’s bunt against Ryan Helsley (3-2). Arias added a sacrifice fly.
Nic Enright earned his first career save despite allowing Baty’s two-out RBI single in the 10th.
Manaea gave up five runs and struck out three in 5 2/3 innings. Cecconi surrendered three runs (two earned) with six strikeouts in six innings.
Key moment
Smith ended the ninth by striking out Alonso and getting Jeff McNeil to line to second.
Key stat
Alonso entered Monday batting just .218 in 220 at-bats as a designated hitter. … Manaea threw 56 pitches in his first five scoreless innings but 29 pitches in the sixth.
Up next
The three-game interleague series continues Tuesday, when Mets RHP Clay Holmes (9-6, 3.45 ERA) opposes Guardians LHP Logan Allen (7-9, 4.06).
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