You’ve heard of the University of Miami turnover chain and Chris Paul’s secret stuff, and the New York Mets debuted their own version on Friday night — a stuffed horse that back-to-back Home Run Derby winner Pete Alonso termed the Home Run Horse.
During Alonso’s two-dinger night, the Mets celebrated with a cotton-filled mare that could easily be found in a children’s playroom. It first came out in the bottom of the first inning.
there's a HORSE! LOOSE in the DUGOUT! pic.twitter.com/3J8zCELBeU
— Cut4 (@Cut4) July 23, 2021
The Home Run Horse came back in the bottom of the eighth as Alonso hit another bomb to give New York a 3-0 lead.
“It’s the home run horse.”
-Pete Alonso pic.twitter.com/NxMnvgHG6x— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) July 24, 2021
After the game, Alonso said on the local broadcast that the idea for the Home Run Horse came from hitting coach Hugh Quattlebaum. As you can tell from Alonso’s explanation, there’s really not much to the gimmick.
It was hitting coach Hugh Quattlebaum's idea to bring the Home Run Horse into the Mets' lives. #genius pic.twitter.com/MzBW8FLIpK
— Meditations in Panic City (@MedInPanicCity) July 24, 2021
The Mets could use the kick in the butt when it comes to power. They are 25th in the majors in total home runs, and even the powerful Alonso is 24th in MLB with just 19 home runs on the season.
Still, a win on Friday night led by the Home Run Horse pushed the Mets to 51-43, extending their lead in the National League East to an impressive 4.5 games.
