“I feel like a lot of us were taking really good swings,” Alonso said. “Unfortunately, in the game of baseball, it’s nine against one and sometimes you hit them right at people. You hit the ball hard and it doesn’t necessarily show up in the results. But I feel like we were having quality at-bats and it all eventually came together. That sixth inning was nice, really nice.”
Alonso, who added an RBI single in the Mets’ eighth, is one homer shy of tying Mark McGwire for the second-most home runs by a rookie in a season. The New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge hit 52 home runs as a rookie in 2017.
Charlie Blackmon homered off Luis Avilan with two outs in the ninth for the Rockies’ lone run.
Stroman, acquired from Toronto in a July 28 trade, improved to 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA in his nine starts for New York. The Mets have gone 6-3 with Stroman on the mound.
CONGRATULATIONS AND THANKS
Former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl winner, was in attendance and offered his congratulations to Alonso, leaning across a railing near the visitors dugout to deliver some encouraging words to the Mets standout rookie as he rejoined his team after hitting his sixth-inning homer.
“He just shook my hand,” Alonso said. “He said, ‘Hey, I’m Mike Shanahan.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I know.’ My dad raised me right. My dad is a big football guy. He grew up playing football, played college football and when I was playing football he made sure I knew who certain people were and he was definitely one of those guys. He just said, ‘Good swing. It’s fun watching you play. Keep doing it.’ I’m like, ‘Thanks.'”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rockies: LHP Kyle Freeland threw some 40 pitches in a simulated game in a major step toward returning from a left groin strain. The team remains hopeful he’ll be able to pitch one or two more times before the end of this season. Freeland said he felt fine after the throwing session. “All pitches felt good,” Freeland said. “Leg held up well, so was able to go 100 percent. All in all, it felt really good today.” Freeland has been on the 10-day injured list since Aug. 21.
UP NEXT
Mets: RHP Noah Syndergaard (10-8, 4.15 ERA) is slated to make his first career start against Colorado at Coors Field. He has gone 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA in four previous starts against Colorado, all at home.