First baseman Pete Alonso hit a clutch, game-tying solo home run in the top of the ninth inning of Tuesday night's game between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets. The home run was the five-time All-Star's 300th of his career and drew a wild celebration from the Citi Field crowd full of Mets fans. The only problem of course is, Alonso now plays for the Orioles after signing a five-year, $155 million contract with Baltimore in December.
"Polar Bear" Pete spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career in Queens, earning the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year award, all five of his All-Star honors and collecting 264 home runs in a Mets uniform. Alonso is still beloved by many fans in New York, and while Mets pitcher Sean Manaea said he understands the fans' positive feelings toward his former teammate, he thought their response to Tuesday night's home run was "crazy." Alonso and Manaea were teammates in Queens during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. While Alonso's Orioles (74-78) are still in the playoff hunt, Manaea's Mets (69-82) have been a disaster for much of the 2026 campaign, are in last place in the NL East and have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.
After a slow start to his first season in Baltimore, Alonso has caught fire since the All-Star break. The 31-year-old had 21 home runs, 65 RBIs and a .252/.346/.474 slash line across 97 contests before the Midsummer Classic and has recorded 15 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .293/.388/.543 triple slash in 55 games since then. Overall, Alonso has 36 home runs, an American League-leading 101 RBIs and a .267/.362/.499 slash line across 661 plate appearances this season while playing in each of the Orioles' first 152 contests this year.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
