Alonso returned to his former home stadium on Monday for the first time since joining the Orioles.
At the time of Pete Alonso’s decision to sign with the Baltimore Orioles over the offseason and move on from the New York Mets, the choice came as a surprise to many baseball fans.
Alonso had been a cornerstone of the Mets in the first seven seasons of his career, putting up elite numbers consistently since he came onto the scene in 2019 with a 53-homer season. When he became a free agent, it seemed as if a return could be expected, until Alonso ultimately decided to sign with Baltimore.
On Monday, Alonso returned to Citi Field for the first time as a visitor with the Orioles. Throughout the night and when he was introduced to the Mets faithful pregame and in his first plate appearance, he was met with rousing ovations.
Prior to the game, Alonso said the Mets did not match the Orioles’ aggressive pursuit in free agency, as he was met with strong interest from Baltimore.
"I feel like Baltimore’s home. I just, again, feel so at home and really just so genuinely happy where it’s like I really see myself in a really good way with this organization,” Alonso said, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. “Hopefully, I get to finish my career here as an Oriole. I’m beyond blessed to be an Oriole."
Alonso added he did not want to look anywhere else in free agency because of how strong the Orioles’ pursuit was, as he wanted to center his focus on them during the process.
The 31-year-old did not want to “mess up a good thing” by prolonging the free agency process with the Orioles while the Mets did not match the same level of interest in his duties.
After the game, Alonso also showed appreciation to the Mets fans' gratitude throughout the night, as they cheered him on and chanted his name prior to first pitch. When Alonso nearly ripped a home run off Jonah Tong in the third inning on a fly ball that narrowly went foul, the crowd erupted for him, despite Alonso wearing another team’s colors.
"I take it as, they appreciated what I brought to the field,” Alonso said, according to SNY Mets. “I take pride in giving everything I have every single night. They're just showing their appreciation for all the years of effort and performance. I appreciate them in that way for support."
Alonso also said he “respects it professionally” that the Mets decided to go in a different direction rather than aggressively pursue him last offseason.
Continuously, Alonso has expressed that he is super stoked to be an Oriole and has embraced his time in Baltimore in the first year of his five-year contract. With two games remaining against the Mets, Alonso has an opportunity to hit his 300th career home run at Citi Field, as he remains just one homer away.
