Pete Alonso gave Baltimore Orioles fans something to smile about Wednesday night, and he may have given a few Mets fans another reason to groan.
After the Orioles beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2, Alonso spoke about what it means to be in Baltimore and delivered a line that is bound to land awkwardly in Queens. “I believe in the baseball gods, and I honestly believe that, like, I'm here for a reason,” Alonso said, as shared by Avi Carr-Gloth of WMAR-2 News.
“I was always meant to be a Baltimore Oriole, and I think people are very appreciative and receptive to that, and I feel just as lucky and fortunate to be here as other people have told me. So it's special.
That's really an understatement.”
The reaction from New York fans figures to be mixed at best. Mets supporters had already made their feelings clear during the Orioles’ series at Citi Field earlier in September, repeatedly showing their affection for Alonso throughout the matchup.
That reaction makes the latest chapter even more notable, because Alonso spent his entire major league career with the Mets before this move. He debuted in 2019 and stayed with the club through the 2025 season. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns then made the controversial decision not to sign the franchise’s all-time home run king to a long-term deal, and Alonso eventually landed with Baltimore on a five-year, $155 million contract.
The early returns have been strong. Through his first 159 games with the Orioles, Alonso hit .264/.359/.512 with an .871 OPS, 41 home runs and 110 RBI, putting him in the mix as a potential American League MVP candidate. Even so, the Orioles entered Thursday at 78-81 and likely out of the postseason picture, while the 73-85 Mets had already spent most of the summer knowing they had no playoff path.
Alonso also made sure to acknowledge the fans who have stuck with Baltimore through a disappointing year. “I know this hasn’t been the season that we wanted internally, and it’s not the season that’s expected internally,” he said, per Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner.
“The people who have supported us, it’s not what they expected or wanted either. For people to still show up, come out to a doubleheader today, and really just show the true support, it’s special, and that should be recognized.”
If nothing else, the comments are unlikely to help Stearns’ standing with Mets fans, who were chanting for owner Steve Cohen to fire him before and after Alonso launched his 300th career home run in Queens on Sept. 15.
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Kade Anderson Is Forcing Mariners Fans To Dream Bigger Already
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For Orioles followers, the story carries a little extra weight because two of the other finalists, Anthony Eyanson and Joseph Dzierwa, are now part of Baltimores pipeline after strong minor league showings of their own. Both have paired low ERAs with impressive strikeout numbers, a reminder that the Orioles talent base continues to grow even as Andersons breakout has Seattle thinking bigger about what comes next. [Read more 🡒]