Pete Alonso feels he “dodged a bullet.”
The bullet in this case was not exactly dodged — that 93 mph fastball hurt plenty when it made contact with his right hand — but Alonso is thrilled he dodged a more serious diagnosis.
X-rays, a bone scan and an MRI exam all came back negative and showed no break after Wednesday’s first-inning drilling.
Alonso was out of Thursday’s starting lineup because of a bone bruise but called himself “day-to-day.”
The Mets’ star first baseman is not expected to miss much time.
Pete Alonso left Wednesday’s Mets game after getting hit in the right hand by a pitch. Jason Szenes for the NY Post
Pete Alonso avoided serious injury when he was hit on the hand. Jason Szenes for the NY Post“I feel really lucky and really blessed,” said Alonso, who is too accustomed to hand injuries and was not sure about the latest’s severity upon being plunked. “I didn’t really know what to think.”
Alonso has a long history with injuries to and around his hands.
A broken bone in his hand from a drilling forced him out for six weeks as a minor leaguer in 2017.
He was hit by a pitch in 2021 that led to an injured list trip for what was termed a right hand sprain.
Last season he was forced to the bench with a bone bruise and sprain after a Charlie Morton fastball found his left wrist.
This time, Alonso was optimistic he would be back soon.
He was set to hit in an indoor cage Thursday and hoped to be available off the bench as the Mets opened a series with the Diamondbacks at Citi Field.
“Every time it happens, it’s really different because there’s a bunch of small bones, tissue, ligaments and nerves and stuff,” Alonso said. “As it happens, it all hurts, and you really don’t know until what the imaging tells you. And for me, I feel very fortunate. I feel very lucky. It could have been a lot worse.”
Wednesday’s first-inning fastball from the Dodgers’ James Paxton smacked the knuckle on Alonso’s middle finger — “The FU knuckle,” Alonso said.
There was swelling, but Alonso said that “everything feels completely normal” after he took ground balls at first base.
Without Alonso, Mark Vientos moved across the diamond and got the start at first base while Brett Baty played third.
The Mets’ only backup infielder was DJ Stewart, a natural outfielder who has gotten reps at first.
The team defense is a concern, but losing Alonso’s bat — particularly during a time when the club is reeling — for any amount of time is an issue.
His .761 OPS entered play as the best among qualified Mets hitters, and his 12 home runs were the most on the club.
“It shouldn’t be too long,” Alonso said.
