By C. Trent Rosecrans, Will Sammon, Tim Britton and Tyler Kepner
MILWAUKEE — OMG indeed!
Pete Alonso’s three-run homer off Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams with one out in the ninth inning sent the New York Mets to the National League Division Series in Philadelphia, with Game 1 on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
After managing just two hits and three baserunners over the first eight innings, the Mets scored four in the ninth inning off of Williams en route to a 4-2 victory.
In what could have been his last at-bat as a Met, Alonso hit a 3-1 changeup over the wall in right field for the go-ahead home run off Williams, who allowed just one homer during the regular season.
The Mets added another run on Starling Marte’s two-out single, chasing Williams.
Mets starter Jose Quintana threw six shutout innings before the Brewers hit back-to-back homers off reliever José Buttó in the seventh, setting up Milwaukee’s dominant bullpen to close out the game and send the Brewers on to Philadelphia, but the Mets’ magic struck again. — C. Trent Rosecrans
PETE ALONSO!!!!!!!!!!!!! #POSTSEASON pic.twitter.com/LzgpxTWUzN
— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2024
Pete Alonso saved the season with the moment
At last, Pete Alonso had his huge moment.
And he couldn’t have picked a better time.
For some time, the Mets had needed Alonso to come through. Big time. His walk year had been devoid of special moments. But club officials always said the same thing, that, with his power, he could change a game in an instant.
Alonso’s three-run home run off closer Devin Williams saved the Mets’ season and reminded everyone just how dangerous he can be. It was his first extra-base hit since Sept. 19. Before the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, “We’re waiting for that one swing, hopefully today is the day.” Well worth the wait. — Will Sammon
Devin Williams blows the save; has he thrown his last pitch for Milwaukee?
Devin Williams pitched 22 games this season after missing four months with fractures in his back. He had 14 saves in 15 chances and allowed only one home run, a no-big-deal solo shot while protecting a four-run lead in early August.
For his career, Williams has allowed just 15 homers in 235 2/3 regular-season innings, or just 0.6 per nine innings. He’s been about as automatic as a closer can be … and then fell apart at the worst possible moment. Called in for the ninth inning with the Brewers three outs away from advancing in the postseason for the first time since 2018, Williams did exactly what no closer wants to do: He walked the leadoff man, Francisco Lindor. After a strikeout, he gave up a single to Brandon Nimmo on an 0-2 changeup, then fell behind Pete Alonso, 3-1.
Again, Williams’ signature changeup deserted him, and Alonso lashed it over the right-field fence for a go-ahead homer. Another run would score before Pat Murphy lifted Williams, and you have to believe he’s now thrown his last pitch as a member of the Brewers. He’ll be a free agent next year and he’s due for a raise in arbitration, probably to $10 million or more.
The Brewers have proven adept at finding value-priced bullpen arms, and if they can turn Williams into valuable pieces for the future, their track record shows that they’ll do it. — Tyler Kepner
Jose Quintana delivered
Even as Quintana had compiled the longest scoreless streak of his career in September, the Mets had been reticent to pitch him against their best opponents. They reshuffled the rotation so he wouldn’t face Atlanta in the final week of the season, and he only started Game 3 on Thursday because of New York’s frenzied finish to the season.
And then, in the biggest start of the veteran’s career, he delivered a gem. Privately before the game, the Mets acknowledged that four innings and 18 batters would have been a good outing for Quintana. But in a scoreless game in the fifth, as Milwaukee’s lineup turned over a third time to Jackson Chourio, Mendoza stuck with Quintana. When Quintana got out of the inning by winning a nine-pitch battle with Blake Perkins, there was no handshake awaiting him in the dugout. He had the sixth and the middle of the Brewers order.
Quintana rewarded that trust with his best frame of the night, the usually tranquil left-hander pumping his fist after a strikeout of Gary Sánchez on his 94th pitch. — Tim Britton
From retreads to treasures: Myers, Mears and Bauers
Much of the game reflected the Brewers’ consistently productive scouting and player development departments — and players who were ready to revive their careers. Starter Tobias Myers, who sparkled for five innings, went 1-15 in Triple A two years ago for the San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox.
“It’s not so much what we did, it’s what the player did,” manager Pat Murphy said. “I think he deserves the credit for making that adjustment, like, ‘Hey, my career is going nowhere, what do I do?’”
Righty Nick Mears, who struck out Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker as bookends to a 1-2-3 seventh inning, had a high ERA for Colorado this season, but excellent strikeout numbers. He had uneven results with Milwaukee, but came back strong after missing a month with forearm inflammation and dominated in Game 3.
And while veteran first baseman Jake Bauers, who hit a go-ahead, pinch-hit homer in the seventh inning, batted just .199 after a trade from the Yankees for minor leaguers last November, he did show pop against righties — a vital skill that paid off with a blast that nearly went down in Brewers’ lore … until Alonso struck in the ninth. — Kepner
(Photo of Pete Alonso: John Fisher / Getty Images)
