Pete Alonso tilted his helmet toward the crowd before his first at-bat Sunday night in what may have been his final game at Citi Field as a Met.
The sellout crowd in Queens gave a partial standing ovation, with fans chanting the first baseman's name as he came to bat in the bottom of the first inning.
Despite this performance in the Mets' final home game of the regular season with free agency looming, Alonso said he has a similar mindset to Carlos Mendoza: He's not viewing Sunday's game against the Phillies in Queens as final.
The Mets entered the series finale 1.5 games ahead of the Braves for the National League's final wild card spot, and Alonso called it “a great opportunity to get back to Citi Field in the postseason.”
Asked about the possibility that Sunday could be his final game at Citi Field, Alonso said beforehand, “In my opinion, no.”
Entering the final week of the regular season, the Mets will play three games in Atlanta on Tuesday before heading to Milwaukee for a three-game series.
After that, they hope to have a wild-card series.
“I'm really excited for this opportunity after working so hard this year,” Alonso said. “Today isn't about me. This is about us and who we are. This is about the Mets in 2024. We've come this far as a team and now we just need to finish it off.”
That's something the Mets couldn't do in 2022. They lost three straight games to the Braves in Atlanta in mid-September, costing them the division title.
Alonso is confident he can secure a wild card with a strong finish away from home this time.
“This series did a really good job. [against the Phillies] “It's good to be able to play quality baseball so far,” the first baseman said. “It's just a matter of working hard every day. We've created a great opportunity for ourselves. It's an honor to play for this team. It's awesome to put on the orange and blue every day. I love it.”
After Monday's break, the Mets will wait to see how the 2024 season ends.
“I'm excited,” Alonso said. “We're playing meaningful baseball. This is what we've been preparing for all year and now we're here. Now we just have to execute on it.”
The Mets still have the best record in the major leagues since the end of May, and with a week left in the season, Alonso and the Mets are feeling good.
“We've been playing great baseball for a really long time,” Alonso said. “I think when people think about the 2024 Mets they think 'Oh my God' and 'Grrrr,' but the word that comes to mind for me is 'tenacity.' We've earned our place in this position and being a part of this team is really special.”
Alonso had 12 hits in 33 at-bats in the nine games leading up to Sunday, with three home runs and one double for a 1.142 OPS.
The Mets won six of those games to take a lead over Atlanta in the postseason race.
Maybe that's why, with so much at stake next week, Alonso wasn't interested in thinking too much about the future or his past with the Mets.
“Every game is important,” Alonso said. “If we can stay focused, [Sunday] And then when Tuesday comes, worry about Tuesday.”
