NEW YORK -- Pete Alonso found the kind of stage that makes a milestone feel scripted.
Back at Citi Field for the first time as a visitor on Monday night, Alonso turned Tuesday’s Orioles-Mets game into his own showcase in the ninth inning, ripping a game-tying solo home run off Mets right-hander Kodai Senga for his 300th career blast. The homer was his 36th of the season in his first year with Baltimore, which handed him a five-year, $155 million contract last December.
Most of Alonso’s power numbers were built in New York, of course. His seven-year run with the Mets produced 264 home runs across 1,008 games, enough to make him the franchise’s all-time home run leader before he moved on.
Citi Field made it clear it hadn’t forgotten him.
Alonso was met with a warm reception from the moment he returned on Monday. Fans chanted his name after the national anthem, then again when he came out for warmups.
Before first pitch, the ballpark rolled out a tribute video, and Alonso responded with a tip of the cap. When he came to the plate in the top of the first inning, the cheers only grew louder.
By Tuesday night, the feeling around the park was the same: the crowd seemed to be waiting for the inevitable.
That’s what made the 300th homer land so cleanly. It was Alonso’s 124th career home run at Citi Field, but the first one he’s hit there without a Mets uniform on his back.
The setting didn’t change the reaction. As he circled the bases, the fans treated him like one of their own, then brought him back out of the third-base dugout for a curtain call after the milestone swing.
“Honestly, I’m very gracious and appreciative of all the years of support. It’s really special to have that,” Alonso said on Monday.
“I know that I’ve been an Oriole almost a complete year, and still to have that support, it really means a lot. It’s always much appreciated.”
The homer also put Alonso in a fairly exclusive group. He became the 19th active player to reach 300 home runs, and according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 20th player in AL/NL history to hit No. 300 against his former team. The last to do it before Alonso was Andrew McCutchen, whose 300th homer came for the Pirates against the Phillies on April 14, 2024.
In Other News...
Rubenstein Is Pushing A Camden Yards Plan Orioles Fans Need To Watch
David Rubenstein has quietly put Camden Yards back into the center of a bigger Baltimore conversation. The Orioles owner has re-engaged efforts to redevelop the area around the ballpark, including the B&O Warehouse and the adjacent parking lot controlled by the state, as part of a broader push to give the downtown footprint a more ambitious future.
The club holds exclusive negotiation rights for that land through the end of next year under its lease, which gives the Orioles a real window to shape what comes next. Rubenstein has also teamed with Seregh, a real estate firm focused on sports entertainment districts, signaling that this is being treated as a multiyear redevelopment effort rather than a quick fix, and it is one fans around Camden Yards will want to keep an eye on. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face One Costly Offseason Mistake The Mets Already Made
The Orioles win over the Mets on Thursday did more than keep Baltimore moving in the right direction, it also ended New Yorks season and offered a reminder of how quickly an aggressive offseason can go wrong. The Mets spent heavily and shuffled their roster in hopes of turning momentum into October baseball, only to wind up on the outside looking in, which makes their path a useful cautionary tale for a Baltimore club that will soon have to decide how bold it wants to be.
For the Orioles, the bigger question is less about chasing headlines than avoiding the kind of missteps that leave a team paying for yesterdays urgency. Retaining Trevor Rogers looms as one of the more important decisions on the board, especially with the pending free-agent class offering limited star power, and Baltimore has to weigh whether its next move should be a splash or a more measured bet on keeping the right pieces in place. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Roll Out A Lineup Twist Fans Will Notice Tonight
The Orioles lineup card for the second game of their series at Citi Field brought a few notable wrinkles, with Rece Hinds slotted into the leadoff spot and Shane Baz getting the start on the mound. It is the kind of move that can reshape the feel of a game before the first pitch, especially for a club still sorting out how it wants to piece together the top of the order and the rotation in the stretch run.
Baltimore also added another layer to its long view by confirming that eight players will head to the Arizona Fall League with the Peoria Javelinas, including recent first-round picks Vance Honeycutt and Ike Irish. The AFL remains one of the organizations key development stops, and it will give the Orioles another chance to evaluate some of their youngest talent in a competitive setting before the winter really settles in. [Read more 🡒]