Pete Alonso was clearly in his element on Tuesday night. As the Baltimore Orioles found themselves down by a run in the top of the ninth against the New York Mets, Alonso hit his 300th career home run, sending the ball into the Citi Field bleachers, which tied up the game. You could sense the excitement as he celebrated with a bat slam while rounding the bases, marking his first series back in Queens.
Mets fans greeted Alonso with cheers and even gave him a curtain call, showing their appreciation. It’s interesting, really—they seemed to express some frustration over the team’s decision to let him go via free agency last year. Alonso mentioned that he had considered re-signing with the Mets, but the offer from the Orioles was just too good to pass up.
This turn of events felt like a bit of a sting for the Mets, especially as they struggle through what has been a dismal season, sitting at the bottom of the National League East, trailing the Washington Nationals by 2.5 games for fourth place.
Ultimately, the Orioles pulled off a 7-5 victory that night, improving their record to 74-78 while the Mets dropped to 69-82. After the game, Alonso reflected on the warm reception he received, saying, “I appreciate all the support for all the years I’ve been here, all the life I’ve lived here. Obviously, they’re recognizing that and they appreciate that. It’s a two-way street. Really appreciate it.”
However, it seems that not everyone was thrilled with the crowd’s reaction. Orioles pitcher Sean Manaea expressed his irritation regarding the curtain call for Alonso. He acknowledged that the Mets had underperformed this season but found it “crazy” how the fans reacted to an opposing player. “I’ve got nothing but respect for Pete. But yeah, just never seen anything like that before,” he said. He added, “Pete’s not here. He’s just not here. So, to see the reaction from the fans like that, I don’t know, it’s just different.”
With this home run, Alonso made MLB history as the first player to hit his 300th home run against a team for which he played over 1,000 games. It’s quite a remarkable milestone. Earlier that week, he was also greeted with a standing ovation before his first at-bat on Monday night.
