QUEENS, NY — After the winter of discontent that was Pete Alonso’s foray into free agency, spring is proving to be far more fruitful.
The slugging first baseman was greeted with a hero’s welcome from fans at Citi Field during the New York Mets’ home opener on Friday — his first time back in his long-time home since an offseason that legitimately threatened to end his time in Queens.
“This is home for him,” star shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “This is home.”
In his first at-bat with one out in the bottom of the first, Alonso punched his third home run in four games the other way over the right-field fence, a two-run shot, to jumpstart the Mets in their 5-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
An appreciative crowd, whose stance on the Polar Bear’s return remained unwavering, then implored for a curtain call, to which Alonso complied.
“It was sick,” Alonso said. “That type of stuff is what you dream about as a kid, and to have that type of support being reciprocated, it’s really special. I enjoyed every second of it… It was very, very special. Very picturesque, very storybook-like.”
Alonso homers again, Soto picks up RBI in Citi Field Debut as Mets blank Blue Jays 5-0
While this is not the ending of the story, the temporary resolution that came in the form of a two-year, $54 million deal with an opt-out after this season has restored the good vibes in the Mets’ clubhouse.
Alonso is at the heart of one of the more imposing lineups in all of baseball batting behind Lindor and Juan Soto — the latter picking up a run-scoring double in the win on Friday for his first Citi Field hit and RBI.
The early returns could not be much better. After having a career-worst season (34 home runs, .788 OPS), Alonso has 10 RBI to go with those three round-trippers, and a 1.183 OPS in his first seven games of the season.
“That’s why they call him the Polar Bear,” Soto said. “He has tremendous power.”
And to think, there was a legitimate possibility that Alonso’s days as a Met were numbered. “Exhausting” negotiations, as owner Steve Cohen put it, left the club in a stalemate with Alonso and his agent, Scott Boras, while other teams like the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox lurked.
In January, reports emerged that the Mets were preparing to move on from the 30-year-old, who is now just 24 dingers from breaking the franchise’s all-time home-run record.
“I didn’t want to imagine it,” Alonso’s long-time teammate and left fielder, Brandon Nimmo, said. “But there was a time this offseason where things were getting pretty sticky there at the end. We were definitely worried, but I’m glad we don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Whether it was a dormant market or Alonso’s desire to settle unfinished business in Queens, here is for at least one more year with the team that drafted him — and now on pace for a monstrous campaign.
“Envisioning coming back, for me, it was just all about winning,” Alonso said. “Knowing the culture here, knowing the guys, knowing the camaraderie, you need a great combination of talent and hard work and chemistry. Obviously, this place is familiar. I love it here, love playing at Citi, love being in New York. It checks all those boxes for me. It’s the best option and it’s such an easy decision to come back.”
