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WASHINGTON — Pete Alonso had homered 106 times over his three-plus major league seasons, but never with the bases loaded.
That changed Saturday night, when the Mets slugger found a 91 mph fastball from Joan Adon up in the strike zone and sent a towering fly ball to left field that kept carrying, nestling a few rows deep behind the fence at Nationals Park.
Alonso had his first career grand slam, and the Mets had control of what became a third straight victory to begin the season, 5-0 over the Nationals.
Alonso’s fifth-inning clout was enough support for Chris Bassitt, who dazzled in his Mets debut with six shutout innings in which he allowed three hits and struck out eight with one walk. Bassitt became the second Mets starting pitcher in the series to provide the team with a scoreless outing: Trevor Megill fired five shutout innings in Thursday’s opener.
Drew Smith, Joely Rodriguez and Adam Ottavino each pitched a scoreless inning in relief, helping the Mets to their first 3-0 start since 2012.
In a DH appearance that allowed Dominic Smith to play first base, Alonso continued his hot stretch to begin the season. He had entered 3-for-9 with a double as his only extra-base hit.
Last season Alonso was among the few Mets hitters who played to his potential. It was a season in which he blasted 37 homers to help carry a lineup that underperformed on several levels. His spring commenced with a scare: he was involved in an automobile accident in Tampa while driving to camp and had to kick out the windshield of his vehicle to escape after it had overturned multiple times. The accident occurred after another driver had run a traffic light and T-boned Alonso’s vehicle.
A scary occurrence of a different nature found Alonso on Thursday, when he was struck in the protective jaw covering by a Mason Thompson pitch that had first skimmed his arm. Alonso sustained a split lip, but escaped serious injury.
James McCann’s leadoff single in the fifth started the Mets’ big inning. Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor each walked, loading the bases against Adon, before Alonso delivered with the blast.
Bassitt, whom the Mets acquired from Oakland at the start of spring training for pitching prospects J.T. Ginn and Adam Oller, was hardly threatened. The Nationals didn’t get a runner to third base against him and each of their three hits was a single.
Bassitt used the curveball as his weapon of choice, particularly in escaping the fourth inning with runners on base. After striking out Nelson Cruz and Lane Thomas on slow curves, Bassitt got Maikel Franco out in front on another, retiring him on a fly out. Juan Soto’s infield single and Josh Bell’s walk had given the Nationals their first threat.
Lindor, covering second base, dropped a throw from Jeff McNeil in the first, but Bassitt got the next batter, Bell, to hit into an inning-ending double play. Cesar Hernandez’s leadoff infield single gave the Nationals their base runner in the inning.
A night after benches emptied when Lindor was hit in the jaw (or projective covering that extends from his helmet; he is unsure of which) there was relative calm. Starling Marte was plunked in the backside by a 76 mph offspeed pitch from Adon in the third inning, but it barely created a ripple.
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