Pete Alonso hit a dramatic go-ahead, three-run homer off All-Star closer Devin Williams in the ninth inning, propelling the New York Mets to a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night, clinching their NL Wild Card Series. This victory advances the Mets in the playoffs for the first time since winning the 2015 National League pennant, setting up a best-of-five Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, the NL East champions, starting Saturday.
“This has been unreal. What a ride,” Alonso expressed with palpable excitement. “I’m just excited to help keep this team alive.” Alonso became the first major leaguer to hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning or later of a winner-take-all postseason game, according to OptaSTATS. “This is something that you practice as a kid in the backyard,” he added.
The Brewers, making their sixth playoff appearance in seven years, still haven’t won a postseason series since reaching Game 7 of the 2018 National League Championship Series. The loss was a crushing blow for the team. “I love this team,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “It didn’t end the way we wanted it to. It ended tragically, actually.”
Milwaukee seemed poised for victory when Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick hit back-to-back homers in the seventh inning, breaking a scoreless tie against Jose Buttó. The Brewers’ rookie right-hander Tobias Myers, along with three relievers, had combined on a two-hit shutout through eight innings. However, Williams, who secured the save in Game 2, couldn’t replicate his performance.
Francisco Lindor sparked the Mets’ ninth-inning rally with an eight-pitch walk. After Mark Vientos struck out, Brandon Nimmo singled sharply on an 0-2 pitch, putting runners on the corners. Alonso, who hadn’t registered an extra-base hit since a homer on September 19, stepped up to the plate. “I know Devin has great stuff,” Alonso remarked, recalling their time as teammates in the World Baseball Classic. “He’s a tough AB.” With a 3-1 count, Alonso crushed an 86 mph changeup over the right-field wall, celebrating with a “chef’s kiss” gesture as he rounded first.
Looking to become a free agent after the World Series, Alonso’s homer could have been his final at-bat for the Mets if they had lost. Instead, he propelled them to the next round with the biggest home run of his career. “Pete Alonso was one swing away from people going crazy about him. And that’s what happened,” Lindor said.
Williams continued to struggle, hitting Jesse Winker with a pitch. Winker, who had received boos throughout the series, stole second and scored on Starling Marte’s single to right. Winker celebrated with a helmet slam after crossing the plate.
The Mets’ ninth-inning comeback continued their storybook season. Initially 22-33 in late May, the Mets posted the best record in baseball for the rest of the regular season. They clinched a playoff spot with an 8-7 victory at Atlanta in a makeup game, scoring all their runs in the final two innings.
New York became the first team to secure a postseason spot and win a playoff series by trailing in the ninth inning or later. “With what’s transpired this season, it seems only fitting,” Nimmo said. “We seemed down and out. At the beginning of the season, we were written off. This game was just like our season; we were down and out for eight innings and just kept shooting our shots until the end.”
Frelick led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, but Joey Ortiz struck out and Brice Turang’s double play ended the series. “It sucks, plain and simple,” said Frelick. “We got beat and it’s something we’ll remember as a group going into next year.”
Edwin Díaz earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, while David Peterson, in his first relief appearance of the season, secured his first major league save. The game featured a pitchers’ duel between Myers, who pitched five shutout innings, and New York’s Jose Quintana, who held the Brewers scoreless through six.