The New York Mets let first baseman Pete Alonso walk in free agency, but Mets fans haven't forgotten him.
New York Mets fans haven’t had much to cheer about during a desultory season that’s sent them to the bottom of the NL East standings, but they were in full throat last night when the welcomed back Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso, who became “the one who got away” when the Mets let Alonso walk in free agency.
Alonso got a standing ovation last night from the crowd of 35,800, per an ESPN/AP report, but Mets fans also chanted his name before each of his four plate appearances in the Mets’ 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
"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."
The Mets put together a two-minute tribute video that saluted Alonso for the 264 home runs he hit in New York, which is a franchise record, and the video also acknowedged Alonso’s appearances in five All-Star games and his breakout first year when he won the Rookie of the Year award back in 2019.
"Coming back and seeing everything kind of condensed like that, it's special and it's much appreciated," Alonso said.
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz appreciates the 35 homers Alonso has hit this year, as he, too, acknowledged the moment.
"Just a really cool moment," Albernaz said. "Just shows how much impact a player can make on a fanbase, this city."
Alonso said the right things about leaving the Mets, but he could barely wait until the end of last season’s second-half collapse to announce his intent to enter free agency. The Mets never really followed up, and they still don’t have a full-time first baseman.
"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."
The subplot in this series is that both Alonso and shortstop Francisco Lindor have 299 home runs, and there are still two more games in which a 300th home run could happen.
"I know [LIndor] 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."
