The slugger became the first major league player to hit a go-ahead homer while trailing in the ninth inning or later of a winner-take-all postseason game, according to OptaSTATS.
”This is something that you practice as a kid in the backyard,” Alonso said.
Williams remained in the game but never regained his footing. Jesse Winker was hit by a pitch with two outs, stole second and scored an insurance run on Starling Marte’s single to right. Winker, a former Brewer who was showered with boos throughout the series, screamed and slammed his helmet to the ground after sliding across the plate.
The ninth-inning rally continued New York’s storybook season. The Mets were 22-33 in late May but had the best record in baseball the rest of the regular season. They didn’t clinch a playoff berth until scoring all their runs in the final two innings of an 8-7 comeback victory at rival Atlanta in the opening game of a makeup doubleheader Monday, the day after the regular season was supposed to end.
Frelick led off the bottom of the ninth with a single, but Joey Ortiz struck out and Brice Turang hit into a double play to end the series.
Edwin Díaz pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. David Peterson, making his first relief appearance of the season, worked the ninth for his first major league save.