Tag Archives: Ryan Howard

Pete Alonso Makes MLB History with Third Career 40-Homer Season

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Pete Alonso has entered the Major League Baseball history books…

The 28-year-old half-Spanish American professional baseball player, nicknamed “Polar Bear,” homered twice and drove in four runs, reaching 40 homers and 100 RBIs for the second consecutive season as the New York Mets beat the first-place Seattle Mariners 6-3.

Pete AlonsoAlonso, a three-time MLB All-Star, hit an RBI single in the first inning before his two-run shot in the third made him the fifth player in major league history with at least three 40-homer seasons in his first five campaigns, joining MLB Hall of Famers Ralph Kiner (four times), Eddie Mathews, Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols.

“Kind of mind-baffling,” Alonso said. “Impressive names. I had no idea.”

Jeff McNeil also went deep — after finishing a homer shy of the cycle Saturday night — and New York took two of three games from the Mariners to hand them their first series loss since Aug. 11-13 against the Baltimore Orioles.

“It’s been a while,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said.

Seattle, which won a franchise-record 21 games in August, began the day leading the American League West by one game over the Houston Astros.

“We just had a historic month for the organization, and we had maybe a little setback here,” said M’s first baseman Mike Ford, who hit the second of back-to-back homers in the fourth. “But we can get right back on it.”

Alonso’s solo homer in the seventh made him the fourth player in Mets history with at least three 100-RBI seasons. David Wright reached the 100-RBI milestone five times, and Carlos Beltrán and Darryl Strawberry each did it three times.

“Through thick and thin, we know one thing: Pete’s going to walk through that door the same guy every day,” Mets manager Buck Showalter said. “Pleasure to be around. He never has a bad day. He cares about his teammates, cares about the Mets. And to see guys like him have success, it makes it even more enjoyable.”

Alonso’s 41 home runs are tied for the second most in a season in franchise history with Beltrán and Todd Hundley. Alonso holds the team record with 53 as a rookie in 2019.

“It seems like yesterday I was in my rookie season,” Alonso said. “This is my fifth year, and time flies. It means a lot. This place has been extremely special to me. New York’s treated me so incredibly well.”

Alonso can become a free agent following the 2024 season, and speculation has been heating up about whether the retooling Mets will trade him this winter after dealing away veteran aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander over the summer to restock the farm system.

“Everybody knows that’s part of the game until the contract is done,” New York shortstop Francisco Lindor said.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Homers in First At-Bat Following Home Run Derby Win

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Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is still swinging them out of the park…

The 24-year-old Canadian-Dominican professional baseball first baseman and Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter’s Home Run Derby continued on Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.,Guerrero became the first Derby champion to go deep in his first plate appearance after the MLB All-Star break as Toronto opened the second half of the season with its sixth win in seven games.

Brandon Belt drove in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning, Matt Chapman had three hits and an RBI and Whit Merrifield drove in two runs as the Blue Jays won 7-2 to move to 17-7 against National League opponents.

Guerrero won the MLB All-Star Home Run Derby in Seattle on Monday night, matching his father Vladimir Guerrero Sr.‘s 2007 title to become the first father-son duo to accomplish the feat. The younger Guerrero is also the first Blue Jays player to win a Home Run Derby crown.

On Friday night, Guerrero led off the second inning with a 426-foot drive off Arizona starter Ryne Nelson for his 14th home run.

He is the fifth Derby winner to homer in his first game back, joining Prince Fielder (2009), Ryan Howard (2006), Ken Griffey Jr. (1998) and Tino Martinez (1997).

Guerrero connected on a 2-2 slider from Nelson.

“It just kind of slipped out of my hand, popped a little bit, right where he wants it,” Nelson said. “Right there, that’s a pitch I have to execute and not leave it over the plate.”

Toronto is 51-41, a season-best 10 games above .500.

“I liked the way we played,” Guerrero said through an interpreter. “We’re going to continue to play with the same intensity. It’s excellent right now.”

Alex Rodriguez Among 13 First-Timers on Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

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Alex Rodriguez is getting his first chance…

The 46-year-old Dominican American former professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, businessman and philanthropist is among 13 first-time candidates on the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame ballot of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Alex RodriguezA-Rod, as he’s nicknamed, is joined by fellow first-timers David Ortiz, Ryan Howard, Tim Lincecum, Justin Morneau, Jimmy Rollins, Jake Peavy, Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, A.J. Pierzynski and Mark Teixeira, the Hall and BBWAA said.

A-Rod and the first-timers join 17 holdovers.

Steroids-tainted stars Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens make their 10th and final appearance on the BBWAA ballot along with Curt Schilling, who fell 16 votes shy of the necessary 75% in last year’s balloting. Schilling appeared on 71.1% of ballots, Bonds 61.8% and Clemens 61.6%.

Holdovers include Bobby Abreu, Mark Buehrle, Todd Helton, Tim Hudson, Torii Hunter, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Omar Vizquel and Billy Wagner.

Sosa also will be on the ballot for the final time after receiving 17% last year.

BBWAA members with 10 or more consecutive years of membership are eligible to vote. Ballots must be postmarked by December 31 and results will be announced Jan. 25.

Any players elected will be inducted into the Hall at Cooperstown on July 24 along with anyone elected by the Golden Days Era and Early Baseball Era committees, which are scheduled to meet on December 5.

No one was elected by the BBWAA in last year’s vote, and Schilling asked after the vote that the Hall remove him from the ballot.

“It’s all right, the game doesn’t owe me anything,” he said during a live video stream on his Twitter account.

Clemens has denied using performance-enhancing drugs and Bonds has denied knowingly using them. Bonds also has been accused of domestic violence and Clemens of maintaining a decade-long relationship with a singer who was 15 when they met.

Rodriguez was suspended for the 2014 season for violating MLB‘s drug policy and collective bargaining agreement, and Ortiz’s name was alleged to have appeared on a list of players who tested positive during 2003 survey testing.

Giancarlo Stanton Hits 55th Home Run, the Highest Homer Total in a Single Season Since 2006

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Giancarlo Stanton is back to his home-run-hitting ways…

The 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican professional baseball player, a slugger with the Miami Marlins, slugged No. 55 on the season in the team’s 13-1 rout of the New York Mets.

Giancarlo Stanton

Batting third for the first time this year, Stanton’s three-run shot came off Mets right-hander Matt Harvey in the fourth inning.

It ended a six-game, 29-at-bat home run “drought” for the Marlins outfielder. That was the most games Stanton had gone without hitting a home run since a 14-game span from May 9 to 24.

“I thought he looked better, obviously,” manager Don Mattingly said.

Stanton’s homer total is the highest since Ryan Howard hit 58 in 2006. He added a run-scoring single in Miami’s seven-run fifth inning.

Stanton came into the game batting .147 in his previous 19 games. He has been rested and held out of the starting lineup three times in the past 10 games, including Sunday, when he asked to sit out. The break helped, he said.

“For sure, at this point,” Stanton said. “Early in the year when you have a day off, you kind of feel sluggish afterward. With all the miles we’ve tallied up through the year, it feels good to have them now.”

Colón Wins 200th Game as Mets Defeat the Phillies

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Bartolo Colón has joined an elite Major League Baseball club…

The 41-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets pitched eight innings for his 200th career victory, as the teamheld on for a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bartolo Colón

Colon joined Pedro Martinez and Juan Marichal as the only Dominican-born pitchers to reach 200 victories.

“I’m really happy to be in that category,” Colon said through an interpreter. “I’m expecting a call from those guys.”

He gave up one run and six hits, struck out six and walked none.

“It’s amazing that he’s still able to perform like he does,” Mets manager Terry Collins said. “Two hundred wins, that’s a lot of wins.”

Colon (11-9) didn’t allow a batter to reach second base except for Byrd, who led off the seventh with a drive over the wall in left for his 22nd homer. Colon departed after throwing 107 pitches.

“He throws a lot of fastballs but he changes speeds with them making it difficult to gauge the velocity,” said Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg.

Philadelphia’s A.J. Burnett (6-12) surrendered 11 hits, tying a season high, resulting in five runs in his third consecutive loss. The right-hander struck out eight and walked two while falling to 0-4 with a 6.66 ERA in his last five starts.

The Mets nearly blew it in the ninth, when Philadelphia scored three runs on three hits.

Chase Utley doubled and Ryan Howard walked against left-hander Dana Eveland. Closer Jenrry Mejia relieved Eveland and Byrd singled to load the bases. Sizemore then lined a two-run double off the wall in right that trimmed New York’s lead to 5-3.

“I was praying for the ball to stay in the ballpark,” Colon said. “Thanks to Mejia for doing his job and holding his composure on the mound.”

After Cody Asche had a run-scoring groundout, Mejia struck out pinch-hitter Reid Brignac for his 17th save in 19 opportunities.