Pete Alonso etched his name into New York Mets history on Saturday night! The slugger managed his 252nd career home run, and it matched Darryl Strawberry’s franchise mark. And this is no easy feat; this milestone has stood tall for 37 years now. It’s a huge day for Alonso, but even so, the bigger picture muted his celebrations—the sixth straight defeat in the middle of the summer and the playoff race by the Mets.

Coming to the game, Alonso’s shot came in the second inning off Brewers starter Tobias Myers. A 413-foot drive to the left center that gave the Mets a lead. It was his fourth homer in eight games. The 30-year-old has already put together one of the best numbers possible and has now reached 26 home runs of the season while appearing in the franchise record of 370 consecutive games.

For him, though, these achievements meant less given the adversities the team has been facing lately. And he broke his silence on the team’s slump. “We have the utmost confidence in each other, it’s just a matter of time. If there’s any group that can battle through adversity, fight to the end, and get the job done, I believe it’s this group. Just because we’re handling adversity, we’re not going to fold,” Alonso told the reporters.

Even when talking about his historic swing, Pete Alonso mentioned that he kept his focus on the larger mission. For him, they are in a playoff race, a division race, so he wanted to stay focused on the task at hand, which is winning as many ballgames as possible. Sadly, they lost the game, and he created history. A bullpen meltdown in the seventh inning, highlighted by the pitch clock violation from Ryan Helsley, erased what should have been the final out. It turned a 4-3 Mets game lead into a 7-4 loss to the Brewers.

Manager Carlos Mendoza, however, did hand the flowers to Alonso, saying. “For Pete to tie it, it’s something special for him and for all of us.” But he did highlight the mistakes they have been making: “But we’re making mistakes, and good teams will make you pay.” For now, Alonso’s record will make its way into the history book. But if the Mets want to make it to October, they need more than milestones.

Mets need Juan Soto to heat up fast now!

The New York Mets—with six straight losses and 10 defeats in the last 11 games and a lineup that looks like it’s running on fumes—are no doubt stuck in a rut, right? Now, not a single Alonso can help make a change, but it won’t be bad having Juan Soto locked in at the plate. He, after all, is not just another player—he is the $765 million man with a 15-year contract and the weight of the expectations of the entire fanbase.

Kerry Miller from the Bleacher Report put it best—Soto is in the “Ultimate Pressure Cooker.” And his job is to ensure that the Mets do not go from the NLCS to missing the playoffs. All while the team is shelling out a $101 million luxury tax bill. Now, Soto has turned things around after his initial rough start. Through his first 55 games, Soto had a .765 OPS with eight home runs. Since then, it’s a .983 OPS with 18 home runs in 58 games.

However, the Mets’ slide has not stopped. They were 12 games over .500 during the Dominican’s slow start, but have gone just 18-29 since mid-June. Moreover, even his agent had warned him that a slump seemed imminent given the pressure. When Soto gets a hit, the Mets manage a 46-24 record, if not 17-29. So the math is that simple. For now, the power has returned with three straight games with homers. But the catch is all were solo blasts. His bat is hot, but the timing is not perfect.

If the Mets want to make their way back to a playoff position, Soto has to do something game-changing. Literally.