MILWAUKEE — No player needed a big moment more than Pete Alonso.

During the incredible run of September the Mets went through to reach the postseason, including their wild doubleheader in Atlanta earlier this week, and the first two games of their NL wild-card series against Milwaukee, they had pulled off a lot of big hits. But none came from their best first baseman.

In fact, nothing seemed to be going right for Alonso as he entered his ninth-inning at-bat in Thursday’s Game 3. His timing seemed off; he looked uncomfortable in the batter’s box. Honestly, with the Mets’ season on the line, other boys fans were probably wanted at that moment.

But in baseball, especially in the postseason, the moment finds you.

“As you watch the game unfold and we go into the ninth inning against one of the best closers in the game, I look to my right and I see Pete Alonso, and I thought, ‘This could be it.’ ” said Mets manager Carlos Mendoza after his team’s 4-2 victory.

The Mets had gotten a great haymaker entering the ninth inning. Not only did they trail after back-to-back home runs in the seventh gave Milwaukee a 2-0 lead, but with All-Star closer Devin Williams about to end the ninth, the obstacles and pressure began to mount. to take.

But as we’ve seen all year, there’s no let up in these Mets. Francisco Lindor got things started with a single, a single by Brandon Nimmo put runners on the corners and the stage was set for Alonso.

“I wanted to be in that place,” he said afterwards. “I wanted to perform for my team. I wanted to contribute in a positive way.”

Trailing by two, the Mets needed a big swing from the man nicknamed “Polar Bear.” But entering the at bat, Alonso had not homered since September 19. Worse, in a span of 41 at-bats during that span, he didn’t even have an extra base hit.

“It’s been hard for him all year,” Mendoza said. “People talk about wanting more from Pete, and if you look at his numbers, it’s a pretty good year. Obviously the standards and expectations for him are that he should hit 45 to 50 home runs every year, and that’s not easy.

“He’s handled it better than anyone, and he wants it as bad as anyone.”

And so, just as you wrote it, in what could have been the final at-bat of his Mets career, Alonso worked a 3-1 swing and then delivered the biggest swing of his life, drilling a fastball deep to right . -field wall. As the ball left the field, it caused pandemonium in the New York dugout as a stunned Milwaukee crowd watched in silence.

“Alonso, even though he may have been quiet this series, that’s a huge turnaround,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said afterward. “That’s how it is.”

Alonso has hit 226 home runs in the major leagues; since 2019, only Aaron Judge has hit more. However, Alonso had only recorded a few strikeouts in recent weeks. His dropped pop-up earlier in Game 3 and even his tripping over his bat in Game 2 seemed like a microcosm of the way things were going.

But with one wave, Alonso made the previous two weeks – and even the previous two hours – no longer matter. When the Mets needed a hero, their first baseman found a way to end his blackout, sending his team to the NLDS, where they will face the Phillies in Game 1 on Saturday.

“I’m just happy that I could get through there for my team,” Alonso said of the winning swing. “It really is a special moment.”

Mendoza added: “Pete coming through means a dream come true for him, and what a signature moment there. And here we are, heading to the next round.”

As Alonso rounded first base, the entire Mets team rushed onto the field.

“It means the world,” Alonso said afterwards. “It doesn’t matter if it’s me or someone else. I know everyone in our clubhouse, I know that everyone in the organization supports each other.

“That’s part of why we’ve been able to bounce back and earn a spot in the playoffs and then go to the next level. … That is our identity.”

If you want to know what unlikely success looks like, look no further than the 2024 Mets, who made their middle name unlikely this season.

Becoming one of the most popular teams in baseball after the 9-19 victory in May? Completing a 65-40 record over the final four months of the season to enter the postseason? Unlikely.

Winning a must-win game after only two outs against one of the game’s best closers? Getting the winning hit from a wrestling star who hadn’t hit a homer in weeks? Unlikely.

After the game, Mendoza reflected on the team meeting the Mets players held in late May – on what turned out to be their lowest point of the season and crucial turning point.

“They came together at the famous team meeting, and … they backed up those words by going out and pushing each other, holding each other accountable and believing in themselves,” he said.

“Win or lose, same mentality, day after day. It happened, dude.”

For a while on Thursday, it looked like the Mets’ magical season was coming to an end. But then, as they have done all season, they discovered just a little more magic.

“It’s a very special group,” Alonso said. “How far we’ve come this year… not many people thought we’d be in this spot right now. It’s just very special to move on.”