Players of the Week: Kwan, Pujols, Alonso honored

Last week, Steven Kwan and Pete Alonso both put together weeks to remember for playoff-bound teams, while Albert Pujols smashed his way into baseball history. On Monday, that trio was named the Players of the Week presented by Chevrolet, with Kwan getting the nod in the AL and Pujols and Alonso sharing NL honors.

• All-time winners

Kwan’s week added another chapter to an impressive rookie season, as he batted .438 with two home runs, 10 RBIs and four stolen bases. Kwan’s best performance came on Sunday in the form of a three-hit day that included a grand slam and two stolen bases in Cleveland’s 10-4 win over the Rangers to clinch the AL Central.

Pujols’ Cardinals haven’t clinched their playoff berth yet, but he provided all of baseball with a signature moment on Friday, when he mashed career home runs No. 699 and 700 in the Cardinals’ 11-0 win over the Dodgers.

Pujols’ monumental performance marked his fourth multi-homer game of the year, and the second time this year he’s had five RBIs in a game. While that was the only game in which Pujols drove a run in last week, he still managed to bat .368 across six contests while scoring three runs. This is his 14th time winning Player of the Week honors, and his second time winning the award this year.

Last week was another week of power for Alonso, who mashed four home runs and drove in 13 to bump his league-leading RBI total up to 128. Like Kwan, Alonso’s week also coincided with a playoff berth, as the Mets clinched a spot in the postseason on Monday in a 7-2 win over the Brewers that featured a three-run home run from Alonso.

After homering against the Brewers the next night, Alonso went homerless for two games before hitting long balls on Saturday and Sunday against the A’s. This is the second time Alonso has won a Player of the Week award, with his first win coming in June 2019. He’s the second Met to win the award this year, joining Francisco Lindor.