Pete Alonso was so focused on his opening at-bat on Sunday night in what could be his final home game at Citi Field that he did not immediately notice the standing ovation he was getting from the sold-out crowd.
It was not until home-plate umpire John Libka made him aware of it that the gravity of the situation finally landed on the New York Mets’ slugging first baseman.
“John’s like, ‘Hey, are you going to do something? Are you going to tip your cap or something? I can give you time right here.'” Alonso recounted. “I’m like, ‘What?’ Because I was worried about my at-bat… I was really happy that John reminded me… I just looked up and was like, ‘Wow.’ It was crazy.”
Alonso ultimately stepped out of the batter’s box and tipped his helmet to the 43,139 fans, with all parties involved understanding that the possibility of this being the last time one of the franchise’s greatest power hitters represents the Mets in Queens exists.
“It’s really special. That’s something that’s right out of a storybook for me,” Alonso said. “It’s truly remarkable to see and feel that reaction and appreciation from a packed house like that. It’s wild. It’s something you kind of hear about or read about, or kind of see in movies…
“It’s just one of those things that I really appreciate it. I know my family appreciates it. I just feel really blessed and very fortunate to be in this organization, to come up through this organization. I’m very, very blessed.”
Of course, Alonso still has at least one week of baseball left to play with the Mets, where they either make the playoffs and buy a bit more time in 2024, or the best team in baseball since June grinds to a screeching halt, misses the postseason, and Alonso gets ready to hit free agency this winter.
Winning the three-game series against the Braves down in Atlanta would all but clinch October baseball for the Mets, who entered Tuesday night’s slate of games with a half-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second National League Wild Card spot and a game-and-a-half lead over the Braves, who are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
“I’m just really excited to be able to capture this opportunity for this team,” Alonso said. “We’ve come so far this year, and I’m so stoked just to play every single day with these guys. It’s so fun.”
The Mets have been the best team in Major League Baseball since June 3, going 63-34 in their last 97 games to overturn a miserable 24-35 start to the season that had initially strengthened the rumors of Alonso being dealt at the trade deadline to not even see his potential final year in New York all the way through.
“We’ve played excellent baseball for a really long time now,” Alonso said. “The one word that I want when people think of the 2024 Mets… is resilient. We’ve earned the right to be in this position and be a part of this group. It’s been really, really special. Where we are, it shows the persistence and the trust we have in each other. Everyone trusted each other, and we’ve all been together this whole way through.”
One more week of excellent baseball ensures that Alonso will not have to think about his future — and where he will call home in 2025 — just yet. He would not only get to fulfill his wish of properly celebrating a postseason berth with his teammates, which they were unable to do in 2022 after losing the NL East division title late to the Braves but etch a few more masterstrokes of a Mets career that has seen him quickly rise the ranks as one of the best offensive talents the organization has ever seen.
Granted, Alonso is trying to think about anything and anyone but himself and that future right now.
“This is about us and who we are. This is about the 2024 Mets,” Alonso said. “We just need to finish… We’ve really built ourselves a wonderful opportunity and it’s an honor to play with this team, to play with these boys, and to play for this franchise. It’s sick putting on the orange and blue every day and I love it.
