WASHINGTON — Pete Alonso stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded against a gassed 23-year-old Nationals pitcher. Alonso closed his eyes and took a deep breath on a 2-1 count. Then the Mets slugger sent Joan Adon’s 86th and final pitch of the night to the moon — which settled down as a grand slam over the left field wall.
Alonso watched it sail — the ball hung in the air for nearly seven seconds — but he didn’t wait for it to fall before he flipped his bat and jogged around the bases. Alonso’s first-career grand slam was also his first home run of the year, and it was all the Mets needed to break open a scoreless game and beat the Nationals, 5-0, on Saturday night at Nationals Park.
The Mets’ third straight win of the year wasn’t just all offense. Far from it.
