Mets slugger Pete Alonso OK after being hit on right hand by pitch
Pete Alonso #20 of the Mets celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo homerun in the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on April 19, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri. Credit: Getty Images/Michael B. Thomas
ST. LOUIS — Pete Alonso still was all smiles after being held hitless in the Mets’ 10-2 loss to the Cardinals on Saturday, and with good reason: X-rays on his right hand were negative.
Alonso got hit on the hand — between the base knuckles of his pinkie and ring fingers — by Miles Mikolas in the eighth inning. It was ruled a swing, though, so Alonso didn’t get first base.
A veteran of three broken left hands in 2016-17, Alonso had an idea that was not the case this time.
“A little boo-boo,” he said. “I can’t say what I thought [in the moment], because it would be bleeped out. But yeah, it’s definitely something I think about, just because it’s happened in the past, just like, oh boy.
“The trainers were prying around, pickin’ and pryin’, and they were just like, ‘All right, well, we don’t think it’s broken.’ Then the X-ray confirmed that. Again, thank you, God.
“My range of motion is completely fine. Strength is completely fine. Right now I’m just icing it to reduce the swelling. If I had range of motion issues or strength problems, I would feel that [further] tests would probably be necessary. Based off how it is, it feels 100 percent.”
Broken hands can be sneaky, Alonso said. At the end of his University of Florida career in 2016, he unknowingly played three weeks with a broken left hand.
“At first, they feel fine and then you find you find out it’s broken,” he said. “It’s like, there’s no way that it’s broken. But X-rays don’t lie.”
Alonso also broke his left hand while playing for short-season Class A Brooklyn in 2016 and for advanced Class A St. Lucie in 2017.
This time, he got off easy. Alonso hopes to play Sunday so his rookie season — seven homers, .315 average, 1.103 OPS — will continue unimpeded.
“I’m really thankful that it caught me in a perfect spot, so to speak, and I’m all good,” he said. “Caught some meat or some muscle in the hand as opposed to ball-on-bone contact. Typically that doesn’t end too well, so I’m really happy that I’m still healthy.”
Jeff McHitter
Jeff McNeil made a bit of franchise history Saturday, becoming the fastest Mets player to 100 hits. His 100th came in at-bat No. 291 (and game No. 82), edging Moises Alou, who did it in 294 at-bats.
McNeil is batting .388 this season and .342 in his career.
Extra bases
In his first rehab game for Triple-A Syracuse, Todd Frazier (strained left oblique) was 2-for-3 with an RBI double and a run scored Saturday. He played four innings at third and three innings at first . . . The Mets won’t have another Saturday game at 1 p.m. local time until June 22, when they play the Cubs at Wrigley Field . . . Amed Rosario is starting a charity called Rosario's Kids, which "aims to impact the lives of children through sport and mentorship," according to the Mets. On Tuesday at Citi Field, Rosario will host kids from the Brooklyn-based El Puente Leadership Center.
