NEW YORK — A day after being the only player to speak at a pregame meeting led by David Stearns and Carlos Mendoza, Pete Alonso delivered one of his best performances of the season. Alonso hit three hits, had a home run and drove in five runs in the New York Mets’ 10-1 victory over the Washington Nationals at Citi Field.

With the loss in Atlanta, the Mets extended their lead in terms of a playoff spot to two games.

“We have our destiny in our own hands,” said Alonso. “We want to win as many games as possible.”

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Tylor Megill was good again. Luisangel Acuña had three hits, including a home run. The lead over Atlanta is now two.

The Mets are 83-68.

— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) 18 September 2024

That was essentially the message being spread in the Mets locker room on Monday as Stearns and Mendoza addressed the team. Alonso spoke at the end, reminding his teammates of what still lay ahead.

(The New York Post first reported on the team meeting and Alonso’s role in it.)

“It was great — like a little motivational speech to give us a little push for the next two weeks,” said Mark Vientos. “I feel like we’re on top right now and we’re going to keep it that way.”

“That’s been Pete all year,” said JD Martinez. “He speaks when he needs to.”

“I just wanted to say something from the bottom of my heart to the guys,” Alonso said. “That’s pretty much it.”

“It was cool to hear from everyone,” said Tyrone Taylor. “Just come and be the best version of yourself. Those are cool words.”

He paused.

“There was plenty of fun too,” he said.

Tuesday was certainly a fun one for New York. Tylor Megill continued his late-season surge, limiting Washington to one unearned run on two hits in six innings. In four appearances as a replacement for the injured Paul Blackburn, Megill allowed four earned runs in 21 2/3 innings; the Mets are 4-0 in those games.

Luisangel Acuña, playing shortstop for Francisco Lindor, recovered from an early error to have three hits, including an RBI double and the first home run of his major league career.

And Alonso helped decide the game early and tie it late. The first baseman didn’t have a bad year. But this season, Alonso has lacked the big, timely hits he’s delivered on a regular basis in the past. His OPS with runners in scoring position is 200 points below his career average.

At least on Tuesday, he delivered in those moments. With the bases loaded in the third inning, his fumble with the broken bat landed behind first base and earned him two runs – the kind of luck with batted balls that has often eluded him since the start of last season.

Three innings later, he hit an 0-2 fastball on the inside half to left field for a three-run homer – his first three-run blast in three months.

“I feel really good,” Alonso said. “I just want to keep having good hitting opportunities.”

“He can carry a team,” Mendoza said. “It was good for him to say what he needed to say and it’s good to go out there and back it up.”

This wouldn’t be the first time a strong game from Alonso has signaled an impending winning streak; that phase won’t arrive in full force in 2024. There are 11 games left in the regular season. Alonso and the Mets hope there’s more time – that this isn’t his last home game in Queens.

“This place is really special,” he said of New York. “I’m just really excited about the situation we’ve put ourselves in.”

(Photo of Pete Alonso: Brad Penner / Imagn Images)