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09/14 23:12 CDT Pete Alonso receives thunderous ovations from Mets fans in
return to Citi Field with Orioles
Pete Alonso receives thunderous ovations from Mets fans in return to Citi Field
with Orioles
By JERRY BEACH
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) --- Pete Alonso is still chasing his 300th career home run after
making his first visit to Citi Field as an opposing player Monday night.
He certanly knows how New York Mets fans feel about him, though. They made sure
of that --- over and over and over again.
Alonso went hitless for the Baltimore Orioles during their 2-1 win that
eliminated the Mets from playoff contention, but a crowd of 35,800 gave the
slugger a standing ovation and chanted his name before each of his four plate
appearances.
"I appreciate their sentiment and their support --- for just showing
appreciation for the years of the effort and performance and doing whatever I
could do to help the team win," Alonso said. "I guess that's kind of how I
digest that."
Shortly before first pitch, the Mets aired a nearly two-minute video paying
tribute to Alonso, who hit a franchise-record 264 homers and made five All-Star
teams over seven seasons with the club. The homegrown first baseman was the
2019 NL Rookie of the Year, when he set a major league rookie record with 53
home runs.
Footage of Alonso's charitable endeavors aired along with clips of his first
homer, his two Home Run Derby wins and his most memorable drive --- the
go-ahead homer in the ninth inning at Milwaukee that rallied the Mets past the
Brewers in the deciding game of their 2024 Wild Card Series.
"Coming back and seeing everything kind of condensed like that, it's special
and it's much appreciated," Alonso said.
"Just a really cool moment," Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. "Just shows
how much impact a player can make on a fanbase, this city."
Alonso, batting second in the top of the first inning, stepped to the plate to
more thunderous applause as "Layla," one of his walk-up songs, spilled out of
the loudspeakers. After hugging Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, Alonso tipped
his cap again as the scoreboard read "Welcome Back, Pete!"
"So many good memories here. I played with so many good people, talented
people," Alonso said before the game. "It's going to be interesting to see what
emotions kind of bubble up, because you never can anticipate things that
happen."
He flied out to right field in the first, and the crowd then began yelling
"Fire Stearns!" in a chant aimed at Mets president of baseball operations David
Stearns.
Alonso walked in the third, when he hooked his potential 300th homer foul into
the upper deck in left field, before grounding out in the fifth and striking
out in the eighth immediately before Gunnar Henderson's tiebreaking solo homer.
Alonso is hitting .268 with 35 homers, an AL-high 100 RBIs and an .859 OPS for
the last-place Orioles, who are three games behind Cleveland for the final
American League wild card. He also extended his consecutive games played streak
to 567, second-longest among active players.
The 31-year-old Alonso left New York after the 2025 season as a free agent to
sign a $155 million, five-year contract with Baltimore. Despite an opening-day
payroll of more than $350 million, the Mets endured a 12-game losing streak in
April and have spent most of the season in the NL East basement.
New York first basemen have combined to hit .235 with 18 homers and a .682 OPS.
Jared Young, Mark Vientos and Jorge Polanco --- the latter of whom signed a $40
million, two-year deal with the expectation he'd switch infield positions and
take over for Alonso at first --- have all spent time on the injured list.
"I respect their decision. The guys running the team, it's their prerogative to
do whatever they think is best for them," Alonso said. "Two things can be true
at the same time: I'm very happy and appreciative of my time I spent as a Met
and I'm beyond grateful and appreciative for the Baltimore Orioles."
Alonso has 299 career homers, the same number as friend and former Mets
teammate Francisco Lindor. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Alonso this
week could become the third player to hit his 300th home run against a team for
whom he played in 1,000 or more games.
Willie Horton hit his 300th homer with Seattle against the Detroit Tigers in
1979, and Torii Hunter did so for the Tigers against the Minnesota Twins in
2013.
"I know Paco is chasing down that same milestone, so it'd be really cool if
both of us could do it in the same game," Alonso said. "That'd really be sick."
___
See AP's full MLB coverage here
