Rays beat Athletics 7-4, snapping three-game losing streak
Lowe's 23rd and Caminero's 33rd home runs of the season stretched a 6-1 Rays lead in the seventh inning that was cut to three in the bottom half. Lowe added a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Pepiot (8-9) pitched six innings of one-run ball before allowing the three-run shot to Tyler Soderstrom in the seventh.
Shea Langeliers hit a solo home run in the fifth inning.
Christopher Morel hit a solo home run to start the fourth inning. His initial at-bat in the third was cut short when Brandon Lowe was caught heading home on a failed double steal attempt. Josh Lowe hit a sacrifice fly earlier in the inning.
Nick Fortes hit a two-run single for the Rays in the second inning.
Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs (10-8) lasted just 3 1/3 innings after allowing seven hits and four runs.
Key moment
Brandon Lowe and Caminero's back-to-back home runs gave the Rays a lead required to snap a three-game losing streak.
Key stat
Langeliers hit his 12th home run since the All-Star break, tied with Kyle Schwarber for the most in baseball.
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Though Alonso seemed destined to pass No. 252 from the second he broke into the big leagues — after all, hitting the most homers in Mets franchise history is not a huge record to break, and it certainly isn't Hank Aaron passing Babe Ruth with No. 715 — he almost didn't get the opportunity to achieve it. In his contract year last season, the first baseman hit 34 home runs (a full-season career low) and recorded a .788 OPS (a career worst) in 162 games. On Sept. 22, 2024, the expectation was that Alonso's eighth-inning groundout to third base would be his final at-bat at Citi Field as a member of the Mets. Not even two weeks later, he promised many more. Alonso changed the trajectory of his Mets career with his three-run home run off Brewers closer Devin Williams in the ninth inning of the 2024 National League wild card game. 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"I have a goal to play baseball until I'm through my age-40 season," Alonso said. "And I'm going to work hard and do that. You know what, the business side, Steve and David, they gotta come through." Alonso was asked if he has an idea of what that final hone-run total could look like if he stayed a Met through his age-40 season. "There's only one way to find out," Alonso quipped. If Alonso doesn't stay in New York, he knows Soto could pass him as the all-time home-run leader. "Records are meant to be broken," Alonso said, but he still hopes his own can hold up for a while longer. Soto, who has 229 career home runs and is tied with Alonso for the team-lead this season with 28, could realistically break Alonso's record in the first half of his 15-year contract with the Mets. If Alonso stays and signs a long-term deal, it could be decades before anyone threatens to crack his home-run total, which could very well be in the 450-500 range by the time he hangs up his cleats for good. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, one of the few players on the Mets roster who has played with Alonso since his rookie season, wants the slugger to receive what he deserves on a long-term contract. But he also wants that contract to come from the Mets. "I love Pete as a player and I think he's going to do very, very well in this next market," Nimmo said. "But if I was his counselor, I would sit there, and I would tell him: From where you're sitting right now, you're really good. You're the highest-paid first baseman in the league. And if you told Pete Alonso at 18 years old, going to [University of] Florida, that he would end up being the highest-paid first baseman in Major League Baseball — more than Freddie Freeman, more than Matt Olson, more than Paul Goldschmidt. Obviously, back then, it would have been like, more than Joey Votto. He would have been like, 'Yeah! This is going to be great. Sign me up.'" Alonso has talked about wanting to remain a Met for life, and he would retire in Queens if given the opportunity. Now, he has officially put the ball in Cohen's court. Alonso is doing his part by swatting home runs and helping the Mets win games. The slugger indicated on Tuesday that the pressure is on Mets ownership and the front office to re-sign a popular and homegrown player — a face of the franchise — to a long-term contract. The Polar Bear proved he belongs in New York. What will it take for Cohen and Stearns to come through? "It meant a lot, even though he won't say it," Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said of Alonso breaking Strawberry's record. "You watch that face and how much joy he had, especially when he stood on the bench in the dugout and tipped his helmet to the crowd, he's like a kid with a new toy. He was humble. It was hard to describe the face of Pete there. He was enjoying the whole moment. It meant a lot to him." Deesha Thosar covers Major League Baseball as a reporter and columnist for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
