Pete Alonso didn’t climb up the Mets’ home run leaderboard on talent alone. Preceding all of Alonso’s record-setting homers and tape-measure blasts are hours of preparation behind the scenes, which is what manager Carlos Mendoza says stands out most about the Mets’ All-Star first baseman.

The New York Mets lost to the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night, falling 7-6 in 10 innings. It was a frustrating loss for New York, who is 63-50, but has dropped to 1.5 games of the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.