NEW YORK, NY — There’s a new all-time home run king in Flushing, Queens, and his name is Pete Alonso, known to many as the “Polar Bear.”
Alonso lifted the spirits of beleaguered Mets fans last Tuesday when he smacked a third inning home run off Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider. That blast, number 253 in his seven-year Mets career, made him the team’s all-time homer leader, as he surpassed Darryl Strawberry, whose record held for 35 years. It also underscored the fact the Mets have not been good at developing power hitters throughout their history.
Alonso’s accomplishment was a rare bright spot for Mets fans who have endured a very dreary past two months. Even on Pete’s big night, in which he even added a second home run for good measure, the Flushing faithful were again aggravated.
Starting pitcher Clay Holmes could not make it through the fourth inning, as he quickly relinquished a 5-1 lead. By the time the inning ended, the Braves had tied the game. The Mets would go on to score eight unanswered runs to earn a rare win, 13-5.
Mets president of baseball operations, David Stearns, signed Holmes, who had been a fine relief pitcher for the Yankees, with the intention of converting him into a starter. Clay racked up wins the first two months of the season, but even then, he was lucky to go the requisite five innings to get credit for a win. You did not have to be Nostradamus to foresee he would hit a wall by the time August rolled around.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The Mets could live with Holmes’ workload limitations if their other starting pitchers were able to provide reasonable length in games. That has not been the case, however. Their two best pitchers in recent years, Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga, lost considerable time in 2025 because of injuries, and have also struggled.
Senga did make it into the sixth inning in his start Thursday which earned him a standing ovation. The fans did not depart in a good mood, however, as newly acquired reliever Ryan Helsley gave up a pair of runs in the eighth inning to turn a 3-2 lead into what would become a 4-3 loss.
Losing to an Atlanta Braves team, who were playing without Met killers Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley, was dispiriting enough, but the coup de grace for Mets fans was last Wednesday’s loss when 2025 All-Star David Peterson got knocked out in the fourth inning when the Braves scored nine runs after the Mets had built a 6-0 lead.
Image Credit: Simon Lindenblatt/Latino Sports
There has been plenty of talk about the Mets replacing hitting coach Eric Chavez because of the offense’s inability to hit with runners in scoring position. Juan Soto has been the biggest offender. Surprisingly, there has been little scrutiny regarding pitching coach Jeremy Hefner who has held that position since 2020. Expect the Mets to replace their entire coaching staff if they miss the playoffs.
Brandon Nimmo hosts Little League baseball clinic at Flushing Meadows Park
Some boldfaced names in the Mets family got to discover the World’s Borough last week. On Wednesday, outfielder Brandon Nimmo gave a clinic to Little Leaguers on Field #10 at Flushing Meadows Park. The following day, the Mets SNY broadcast team of Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Keith Hernandez hosted a lunch for a lucky group of friends who live in Bayside.
Happy 80th Birthday to Jay Horwitz!
Congratulations to Mets VP of alumni relations and team historian Jay Horwitz who turned 80 years young last Thursday. He was the Mets media relations director from 1980-2018. While we occasionally butted heads, Jay always made players accessible, never held a grudge, and had the utmost respect for Queens’ newspaper of record, the Queens Chronicle and all local/national outlets.
Image Credit: Hector Beauchamp/Latino Sports
Since 2019 through today, Jay has been the team’s historian and VP of alumni affairs. He was responsible for the terrific Old-Timers’ Day three years ago, and he is putting together the 2025 Mets Alumni Game scheduled for Saturday, September 13. You are too young to retire, Jay!
Steve Cohen speaks to media during Braves-Mets series in Queens
To his credit, Mets owner Steve Cohen has not only remained positive about his team on social media, but he also heartily greeted his players last Tuesday, despite the fact they had lost eleven of their last dozen games at that point.
Cohen also enjoyed chatting casually with reporters on the field before the series opening game with the Braves. New York Post Mets reporter Mike Puma cracked Cohen up when he asked him for his thoughts about the Yankees’ struggles. Cohen spoke highly of his Yankees’ counterpart, Hal Steinbrenner, and said they do text each other.
Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
I asked him if he and his fellow owners have started discussing the upcoming negotiations with the Major League Baseball Players Association. The current collective bargaining pact expires on December 1, 2026. “It’s too soon for that,” he responded although he did make a joke about his fellow owners wanting a salary cap.
On a lighter note, I asked him if he would cross Roosevelt Avenue and catch some of the US Open action. “No. I don’t like tennis!” he categorically stated. Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is the team’s biggest tennis fan. He finds time to make an appearance at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
ESPN’s Mega-Move with the NFL and WWE
There was a lot of sports media wheeling and dealing last week in the aftermath of ESPN acquiring both the NFL Network and Red Zone, as well as the rights to World Wrestling Entertainment’s premier events.
A Splash made by Paramount Plus and CBS partnering with UFC
Paramount Plus and CBS, now under the new ownership of Skydance Media, made its first splash under CEO David Ellison by spending 1.1 billion dollars to land the rights to UFC mixed martial arts bouts.
Image Credit: Paramount Plus
Most of the UFC cards will be shown on the Paramount Plus streamer, but a few will be simulcast on CBS.
CBS and Televisa Univision announces joint venture with Liga MX
CBS and Televisa Univision announced a joint venture where one of professional soccer’s best leagues, Liga MX, will have some of its games televised in English on CBS.
Big News from Telemundo with the start of 24-hour sports FAST: Telemundo Deportes Ahora
Televisa Univision’s rival, Telemundo, announced it was starting a 24-hour sports FAST (Free Ad-supporting Streaming Channel) called Telemundo Deportes Ahora. You can expect to see lots of soccer since Telemundo has the Spanish broadcasting rights to the 2026 World Cup.
Image Credit: NBC Universal
The new Telemundo sports channel, which can be accessed on the internet, will also show boxing, mixed martial arts, and some international basketball contests. There will also be sports news shows in the style of ESPN SportsCenter at designated times throughout the day.
United States Golf Association sign new TV contracts with NBC, USA Network and the Golf Channel
Earlier this year, Comcast announced it would be spinning off its cable networks from its main television property, NBC. In what might be the last sports rights deal under the current corporate structure, the United States Golf Association signed new television contracts with both NBC, USA Network, and the Golf Channel through 2032. USA Network and the Golf Channel will soon be part of the spinoff which is being called Versant.
“Off Day” out on YouTube
“Off Day” is a new series which looks at how prominent athletes spend a day in a city when they are not scheduled for a game. Tennis star Alyna Sabalenka is the subject of the first episode which airs on YouTube.
“Off Day” is a joint venture from the media companies of LeBron James, Naomi Osaka, and businessman Erik Osterholm.
Buffalo Bills on HBO’s “Hard Knocks”
The latest installment of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” looks at life in the Buffalo Bills training camp. It is competent but dull compared to when the series went behind-the scenes with the Jets when Rex Ryan was their head coach over a decade ago. One thing I learned was that former Nets star Vince Carter has a limited partnership stake in the Bills.
Jets-Giants preseason game airs on multiple local channels to help fans learn more about each team
It was a smart move by the Jets and Giants to have both Channels 2 and 4 televise their preseason game last Saturday. WCBS is the Jets’ preseason broadcast home, while WNBC has the same honors for the Giants.
Image Credit: NFL
By allowing both channels to broadcast the game, fans can learn about their team’s players by going to their team’s TV channel. It is impossible for one channel to provide enough information on both New York football teams in a single preseason telecast.
Major League Pickleball Finals set to be held at Wollman Rink from August 22nd-August 24th
While the eyes of the sports world are on the Billie Jean King Tennis Center as it hosts the US Open for the next two weeks, another racquet sport is having its championship in New York City this weekend. Major League Pickleball will be holding its finals at Wollman Rink from August 22 through 24.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
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