In a sport where the most successful players fail in most of their at-bats, Pete Alonso knows perfection is not possible. But that won’t stop him from trying.

The Mets played to plenty of contact on this night, but Alonso’s fifth-inning homer provided firepower in a 9-3 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Alonso launched a two-run, go-ahead blast in helping the Mets win their ninth straight game against the Cardinals dating to last season.

One of the biggest reasons for the Mets’ early success has been slugging first baseman Pete Alonso. The four-time All-Star leads the National League in OPS with an incredible 1.124 mark, and has been among the league’s best run producers in the early going.