Benches clear after Alonso hit by pitch in neck

NEW YORK -- Pete Alonso ducked his head and flinched, bracing for the type of impact he had felt too many times before. As he did, José Soriano’s first-pitch curveball dipped down and struck him near the back of his head, on the neck, in a spot where his helmet didn't completely protect him.

For a player who has been hit near the head multiple times in recent years, it was another concerning moment that, to many Mets, defied explanation. Alonso’s 17th hit-by-pitch of the season was among his scariest yet, despite the fact that he appears to have avoided the worst. Alonso passed concussion protocol during the Mets’ 5-3 loss to the Angels on Saturday and returned to the starting lineup in Sunday's finale.

“This is not the first time that’s happened,” Francisco Lindor said. “Hopefully tomorrow he comes in and he’s ready to go, and he gets back to hitting home runs.”

Leading off the eighth inning, Alonso couldn't duck out of the way of Soriano's curveball, falling to the ground when it hit him. As Alonso stood up and began walking to first base, he animatedly exchanged words with Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe. That prompted both benches to clear, though no punches were thrown.

“I was trying to just defuse the situation,” O’Hoppe said. “I told him we’re not trying to hit him. It was a curveball, and they were upset. I mean, he got hit in the head. It’s not a good thing. You’re never happy, so I understand it. Obviously what happened, happened. But I’m also new to the league and he’s a damn good player, so I’m not trying to start anything with him.”

Within minutes, umpires restored order, but that didn’t erase the ill will the home team felt. The Mets, who led the Majors by a wide margin in hit batsmen last season, are again atop the National League in that stat. Alonso has been at the forefront of it, with an NL-leading 17 HBPs.

Last year, Alonso was hit on the helmet twice in a month. In June, he missed eight games after a Charlie Morton fastball struck his left wrist. He has endured several other close calls, necessitating a litany of X-rays and concussion tests.

“Hopefully it doesn’t continue to happen,” Lindor said. “But it goes both ways. We have hit other guys -- not on purpose -- as well. We’re just trying to be safe out there. We’re all trying to be safe, and I stand by Pete no matter what.”

Alonso left Citi Field before the home clubhouse was open to media and was unavailable for comment. His manager and teammates instead spoke for him, delivering a mixed message. On the one hand, the Mets did not believe Soriano’s pitch was intentional. They have spoken often about the fraught exercise of retaliation, which in their eyes solves nothing.

On the other hand, the Mets are desperate to figure out how to stop all the hit batters.

“I have some very personal thoughts about it,” manager Buck Showalter said. “We’re all very frustrated by what’s been going on with Pete for a while.

“I don’t really want to hear about ‘a product of how they pitch him.’ You take a ball in the neck, I’m not happy about it. I’m not happy about it at all.”

Despite the frequent plunkings, Alonso has maintained his status as one of the league’s top sluggers, hitting 39 homers in 122 games this season.

“It was a breaking ball and you’re not trying to hit anybody,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “But I understand when you get hit upstairs a lot, anything is going to set you off a little bit. But I had no problem with it. He’s a competitor. But Soriano, we’re not trying to throw at anybody.”