Pete Alonso’s return to Queens produced the kind of scene you almost never see: a visiting player getting a curtain call at Citi Field.
Alonso, now with the Orioles, crushed a game-tying homer off Kodai Senga in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday night, a 109.6 mph blast that brought Baltimore even with one out and marked the 300th home run of his career. It was a huge swing in a September matchup between two sub-.500 teams, and Alonso made sure it looked the part, flinging his bat back toward the Orioles dugout after the ball left the park.
Then came the part that stunned everyone. Mets fans chanted Alonso’s name, and he stepped back out of the dugout to acknowledge them, drawing another roar from the crowd. The fans then shifted to “Fire Stearns,” aimed at Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, who decided not to bring Alonso back.
The Orioles went on to win 7-5 in 11 innings, but the night’s most memorable moment belonged to the former Met. I can’t remember having ever seen a visiting player take a curtain call-let alone after a game-altering home run.
If Alonso had reached the milestone in the middle of a blowout, it would have felt different. Instead, fans in the building seemed to be celebrating their own team’s frustration as much as Alonso’s big moment.
That reaction didn’t sit well with everyone in the Mets’ clubhouse. Interim manager Andy Green sidestepped questions about the curtain call after the game, while Sean Manaea was much more direct.
Manaea said he likes Alonso, but added that “to have that kind of reaction to an opposing player-could be anybody-is crazy to me.” He repeated the word “crazy” several times and said he’d “never seen anything like that before.”
Kodai Senga, who allowed the homer, said through an interpreter that he wasn’t bothered by the curtain call. “It shows how much [Alonso] was loved,” Senga said.
There’s an obvious reason Alonso got that kind of reception. He’s one of the most feared power bats in the sport, with only Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber hitting more home runs since he debuted in 2019.
He also built a real bond with Mets fans through his personality, not just his production. His first game back in Queens on Monday drew 35,800 fans, the Mets’ biggest weeknight crowd since June 11.
But the cheers weren’t just about nostalgia. They also reflected the way this season has gone for the Mets.
It’s been a lost year, and first base has been the weakest spot in an already rough lineup. According to Fangraphs, the Mets rank last in first base WAR.
So when Alonso came through against them, it was more than a sentimental moment. It was a reminder of what the Mets no longer have.
There’s also the practical side of it. Plenty of Mets fans can understand that a five-year, $155 million deal for a 31-year-old first baseman isn’t the cleanest long-term move.
By 2030, Alonso could well be a strikeout-prone DH. Still, that kind of future-facing logic doesn’t always matter when the present is staring you in the face.
Last night, the present was Pete Alonso launching one into the night in Queens.
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