Players of the Week: DeGrom, Alonso Finish Award Worthy Seasons
By Ryan Finkelstein
Coming into last week, the New York Mets were not mathematically eliminated and had fleeting hopes that the stars would align and they would find their way into the Wild Card game. Unfortunately the Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals both swept their first series of the week, officially ending the Mets playoff hopes for good.
New York starting the last week of their season in disappointing fashion, splitting a four-game series against the lowly Miami Marlins. But in the end, they finished the season on a high note sweeping the NL East champion Atlanta Braves, with the last win coming in thrilling walk-off fashion.
On Wednesday, the Mets woke up with their tragic number being at one game, giving Jacob deGrom something to pitch for outside of finishing his Cy Young campaign. But after watching the Brewers jump out to a big lead in the first inning that night, it became clear that the Mets chances were over and the focus turned solely to deGrom. He responded by delivering one last gem of the year, capping off what should be his second-straight Cy Young season.
Once the Mets were officially eliminated, all attention turned to Pete Alonso and his pursuit of the rookie home run record. While his overall stats were not great, Alonso hit the three home runs he needed to finish off his masterful rookie season in sole possession of the record.
Player of the Week – Pete Alonso
Pete Alonso entered last week with 50 home runs, just two shy of Aaron Judge‘s record for the most ever hit by a rookie. Alonso came up empty in the first two games of the Mets series against the Marlins, going 1-for-10, with five strikeouts.
Alonso was clearly pressing, which is why it must have been such a relief when he hit a three-run homer on Wednesday, putting the Mets up 7-0 during Jacob deGrom’s last start. In the final game of the series against Miami, Alonso finished with a golden sombrero, striking out in each of his four at-bats.
On Friday, Alonso didn’t waste any time tying Judge’s record though, hitting a laser of a line drive that just cleared the wall in left field for a home run. The next night Alonso broke the record with his 53rd home run, when he hit a towering blast to right-center field in the third inning. Alonso’s overall numbers were not very impressive the last week of the season, but playing in what were essentially meaningless games, the only stat that mattered was the longball.
Alonso’s stats this past week: .172/.226/.483, 5 H, 5 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 14 K
Alonso struck out in nearly half of his last 30 plate appearances, but he still is the player of the week because he accomplished a feat we have never seen in MLB history. By hitting 53 home runs, Alonso put the finishing touches on the greatest rookie season in Mets history and one of the greatest in MLB history.
Pitcher of the Week – Jacob deGrom
While Jacob deGrom was not chasing a singular record like Pete Alonso, he too had plenty to play for when making his last start of the season. deGrom is in line to become just the 11th pitcher in MLB history to win back-to-back Cy Young Awards and the first Met to ever do so.
The only thing standing in deGrom’s way was his last start against the Miami Marlins, as a bad outing may leave a lasting impression on the voters prior to casting their ballots. Just like he did a season prior, deGrom finished his Cy Young worthy season on a high note, pitching seven shutout innings.
deGrom carved up the Marlins lineup with ease, only walking one batter and yielding two hits all game. He finished the night with seven strikeouts, clinching his first ever strikeout crown, leading the National League with 255 punchouts.
deGrom’s line this past week: 7 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K
While Hyun-Jin Ryu capped his own Cy Young case in compelling fashion, pitching seven shutout innings of his own to win the ERA title, deGrom still appears to be the runaway favorite to win the award.