NEW YORK — After finally hitting home run No. 253 , a new Mets record, first baseman Pete Alonso stood on a bench on the top step of the dugout and waved his helmet.

Standing beside him, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza looked up at his slugger, soaking in all the love from the fans. Mendoza captured a snapshot of Alonso’s wide, boyish smile in his mind.

“That’s a moment that I will never forget,” Mendoza told reporters after the Mets’ 13-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.

Even after breaking New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge’s single-season rookie home run record (53) in 2019 and establishing himself as one of baseball’s premier power hitters, this moment didn’t seem like a possibility.

As Alonso stood on that bench, raising his arms in appreciation for the fans who

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