Mets Knock Off Brewers in "Mendoza" Tribute

Just one day after the Brewers completed a thrilling comeback in the late innings against the Mets in Game 2, New York returned the favor with even more flair. How fitting that a man named Pete Alonso was the hero, as I just explained how this series is synced to Pete Rose.

But it wasn’t Alonso who provided the only dramatics in the 9th inning with his 3-run home run. The Brewers were also embarrassed by a player they kicked off their team and now plays for the Mets.

The Brewers had paid Jesse Winker $8+ million to be a key power bat in their lineup for 2023, but he stumbled badly, hitting only one home run in 61 games with the team. Any Milwaukee fans who forgot about this were surely reminded after he nearly got in a fight with Willy Adames in Game 1.

Winker was born on August 17th, exactly seven years to the day after Pete Rose played his final MLB game. Rose was born on April 14th, which is the date Winker played his first MLB game.

In a piece of heel booking that even Vince McMahon would be proud of, Winker would score the team’s 4th and final run on an RBI single, celebrating by exuberantly slamming his helmet into the ground – sticking the dagger into the hearts of the Brew Crew faithful:

The Mendoza Line

Yesterday, the scapegoat was Mets reliever Phil Maton. Today, it’s Brewers reliever Devin Williams. Maton was a span of exactly 78 weeks old when Williams was born, and tonight’s hero Pete Alonso was born 78 days later:

Any Major League Baseball fan worth their salt knows about the Mendoza Line. This is a term used to describe a .200 batting average, as a shortstop named Mario Mendoza finished most of his nine seasons unable to reach this mark.

So anyone with an average of .199 or less is guilty of finishing below the Mendoza Line. During his one year in Milwaukee, not only did Jesse Winker’s power vanish, but he couldn’t seem to get any kinds of hits. He finished his stint there with a .199 batting average – as close as you can get to the Mendoza Line without reaching it:

Earlier in the game, the Brewers had taken a 2-0 lead on back-to-back solo home runs by Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick.

After Alonso’s home run, Jesse Winker would reach base on a hit-by-pitch, where he would steal second. On the attempt, Winker rose and pointed to his head, as if he was struck by the ball. But replays showed that no such contact took place, suggesting something else is afoot.

Sure enough, the Mets would send their trainer to check on Winker as the game paused and Winker stood amongst the crowd that hated his guts. Along with their trainer went Mets coach Carlos Mendoza: