Atlanta Braves pitcher Bryce Elder didn't have his best outing on Tuesday night, but he didn't let the Mets Pete Alonso's trash talk get to him.
Mets slugger Pete Alonso added to his majors-leading home run total on Tuesday night with a bomb off Braves starting pitcher Bryce Elder. Quietly, Elder entered the game leading MLB in ERA at a 1.92 mark.
That made Alonso's home run, and his corresponding trash talk, all the more surprising.
Elder heard Alonso loud and clear, and settled right in after a rough inning.
"He just kept throwing strikes," Snitker said, per The Athletic. "That's huge when stuff like that happens and you don't let it get away from you, because then all of a sudden it can get ugly. But he kept us in the game; we had a lot of at-bats left and had the one big inning. So that was great what he did, as far as getting back on track and holding the game in check."
Atlanta would come back from their three-run deficit, winning the game 6-4. After the win, Elder was asked about Alonso's antics from the opposing dugout, claiming he wasn't bothered.
Chirping is part of baseball, especially these days. Good on Elder for not letting it get to him.
Braves: Bryce Elder responds to Mets, Pete Alonso's trolling
In past decades, perhaps Elder would have been called upon to send the Mets and Pete Alonso a message. But, rather than drilling Alonso or another New York star, thus starting a benches-clearing incident, Elder took the high road and instead went six innings, giving up just the four runs after a tough start to the game.
"I think, overall, I threw the ball well. The guys behind me threw better," Elder said. "I think when you do kind of get hit around a little for that small stretch, obviously you don't want that, but to be able to continue to throw it well and give us a chance is always a positive. The walk there between the homers kind of bothers me."
As Elder references, the bullpen did the rest after he was taken out prior to the seventh inning. All in all, it's a win Atlanta can and should feel good about.
