Pete Alonso closing in on Mets home run record

DENVER (AP) — When he re-signed with the New York Mets last winter, Pete Alonso saw an opportunity to become the team's career leader in home runs and multihomer games.

He checked one record off his list Sunday with a pair of two-run shots in a 13-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies — and the burly first baseman is closing in on the other.

Alonso's 23rd multihomer game broke a tie with Darryl Strawberry for the most in Mets history. The four-time All-Star and two-time Home Run Derby champion now has 243 career homers, passing David Wright (242) for second place on the franchise list — nine behind Strawberry.

“Honestly, it’s just one of those things where I can’t really be too involved in it,” Alonso said. “For me, I just want to win. Whatever happens, capitalize on certain pitches in the zone, then I’ll get my chance to do so by helping my team win. That’s always been the focus.”

Alonso hit two of New York’s season-high six homers to help complete a 5-2 trip. He has six home runs and two multihomer games in June after going deep just four times in 27 games in May. He went 5 for 14 during the weekend series and has raised his batting average from .288 to .301 over the last eight games.

“There’s a lot to like about his bat right now,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Just dominating pitches in the strike zone. That’s who he is. We know that the power’s always been there, but now we’re looking at a really good hitter.”

Alonso wasn’t the only Mets player with a banner day. Juan Soto had three hits and walked three times to reach base in all six plate appearances.

He became the first New York player to accomplish that feat since Alonso on Aug. 15, 2019, at Atlanta.

“It’s not easy to do at the big league level,” Mendoza said. “You get six times at the plate and you find a way to get on base. Finally getting results, but I feel the at-bat quality has been there.”

Alonso’s path toward becoming the Mets' career home run leader began when he set the major league record for rookies with 53 in 2019. He has hit at least 34 homers in each of his five full big league seasons and is on pace for 41 this year.

“Pete’s been pretty incredible this year. He’s been locked in every single at-bat,” said teammate Jeff McNeil, who also hit two home runs Sunday. “Seems like big situations he’s going to do some damage.

“It’s fun to watch and I feel like he’s putting on a show every time he’s at the ballpark.”

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New York Mets' Jeff McNeil, right, congratulates Pete Alonso as he returns to the dugout after hitting a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chase Dollander in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New York Mets' Pete Alonso gestures to the bullpen as he circles the bases after hitting a two-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chase Dollander in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New York Mets' Pete Alonso follows the flight of his two-run home run off Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Tyler Kinley in the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New York Mets' Pete Alonso follows the flight of his two-run home run off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chase Dollander in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

New York Mets' Pete Alonso swings at a pitch form Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Chase Dollander in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The United States says it is lifting sanctions on Belarusian potash in the latest sign of a thaw between Washington and the isolated autocracy.

John Coale, the U.S. special envoy for Belarus, made the announcement after meeting the country’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko in the Belarusian capital of Minsk on Friday and Saturday.

A close ally of Russia, Minsk has faced Western isolation and sanctions for years. Lukashenko has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist for more than three decades, and the country has been repeatedly sanctioned by Western countries both for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use its territory in the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Speaking with journalists, Coale described the two-day talks as “very productive,” Belarus’ state news agency Belta reported Saturday.

The U.S. envoy said that normalizing relations between Washington and Minsk was “our goal.”

“We’re lifting sanctions, releasing prisoners. We’re constantly talking to each other,” he said, according to Belta. He also said that the relationship between the countries was moving from “baby steps to more confident steps” as they increased dialogue.

The last time U.S. officials met with Lukashenko in September 2025, Washington announced easing some of the sanctions against Belarus while Mink released more than 50 political prisoners into Lithuania. Overall, Belarus released more than 430 political prisoners since July 2024, in what was widely seen as an effort at a rapprochement with the West.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya told The Associated Press on Saturday that sanctions relief was part of a deal between Minsk and Washington, in which another large group of political prisoners in Belarus were expected to be released.

“The freeing of political prisoners means that Lukashenko understands the pain of Western sanctions and is seeking to ease them,” Tsikhanouskaya said.

She added: “But let’s not be naive: Lukashenko hasn’t changed his policies, his crackdown continues and he keeps on supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. That’s why we need to be extremely cautious with any talk of sanctions relief, so that we don't reinforce Russia's war machine and encourage continued repressions.”

Tsikhnouskaya also described European Union sanctions against Belarusian potash fertilizers as far more painful for Minsk that those imposed by the U.S, saying that while easing U.S. sanctions could lead to the release of political prisoners, European sanctions should push for longterm, systemic changes in Belarus and the end of Russia's war in Ukraine.

The latest round discussions also touched on Venezuela, as well as Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Belta said.

Coale told reporters that Lukashenko had given “good advice” on how to address the conflict, saying that Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin were “longtime friends” with “the necessary level of relationship to discuss such issues.”

"Naturally, President Putin may accept some advice and not others,” Coale said.

In this photo released by Belarusian presidential press service, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, right, and U.S. Presidential envoy John Coale shake hands during their meeting in Minsk, Belarus, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (Belarusian Presidential Press Service via AP)