Pete Alonso’s reward for splashing a 454-foot homer into a pool of water? A seat on the bench the following night.
For the second time this season, Mets manager Mickey Callaway bucked popular opinion in resting Alonso on Friday immediately after he hit a memorable home run. This was no case of cause-and-effect; Callaway typically writes out his lineups days in advance, albeit with wiggle room in case he wants to shift anything based on injury or performance. For Alonso, Friday was a scheduled off-day. The Mets wanted to not only keep their superstar rookie fresh, but also to find playing time for backup Dominic Smith.
In the outfield, Callaway made a more reactive decision, dropping Brandon Nimmo from leadoff to eighth in the lineup and bumping Jeff McNeil up to first in the order. The moves, for Callaway, worked beautifully. Nimmo hit a two-run homer in the second inning, McNeil added a two-run double in the fourth, Smith reached base twice and the Mets never needed Alonso’s offense in a breezy 6-2 win over the Braves.
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