Mets' Pete Alonso makes himself right at home with two-run blast in Citi Field opener
Pete Alonso of the Mets acknowledges a curtain call after his first-inning two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the home opener at Citi Field on Friday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
From the minute Pete Alonso was reintroduced to Friday’s sellout crowd at Citi Field, the Mets’ home opener was like a stadium-sized embrace of the Mets’ homegrown slugger. A giant Polar Bear hug, really.
The 43,945 fans greeted him with a stirring ovation punctuated by “Pete Alon-so!” chants, a cold winter’s worth of nervous affection finally spilling out. He wasted no time reciprocating that love, either. Stepping to the plate in the first inning, again to raucous cheers, Alonso hammered the fifth pitch he saw from Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman over the rightfield wall for a two-run homer, giving the Mets an instant lead that held up all afternoon in their 5-0 victory over Toronto.
After Alonso circled the bases and disappeared into the dugout, it was as if the Mets’ faithful couldn’t handle the separation — not after this offseason’s emotional roller-coaster. The whole building cranked up the applause until Alonso finally popped back up the steps for a curtain call, saluting the fans with his helmet in his right hand, arms spread wide.
“It was sick,” Alonso said. “That type of stuff is what you dream about as a kid. It’s really special, for sure, and I enjoyed every second of it.”
And to think how close all of this came to never happening. In some alternate universe, one in which Mets owner Steve Cohen doesn’t rush down to Tampa for the 11th-hour negotiations that brought Alonso back on a two-year, $54 million deal, maybe he’s wearing a Blue Jays uniform Friday and hitting behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. instead of Juan Soto.
For most of the winter, that nightmare scenario seemed more likely than Alonso ever hitting another homer in a Mets uniform to the roar of a Flushing crowd. If not for cooler heads navigating through the tough talk — and Cohen recognizing both what his fan base wanted along with the need for a power bat to protect his $765 million investment in Soto — Alonso’s self-described “storybook” afternoon on Friday exists only in a fairy tale.
Alonso already has hit three huge homers through the Mets’ first seven games, including a grand slam that blew open Monday’s 10-4 win over the Marlins and a tying three-run shot on Wednesday that spurred an 11th-inning victory in the series finale. As difficult as it was to imagine the Mets without Alonso during the winter, it’s nearly impossible to fathom that now.
“I’m glad I don’t have to think about it,” manager Carlos Mendoza said, smiling.
Not for the rest of this season, anyway, as Alonso can opt out of his current deal and become a free agent again in November. But there’s no point in worrying about that for these next six months or so. Better to just enjoy the show, and Friday’s display was pure Alonso at his muscle-flexing finest, going full beast mode on Gausman in that first inning.
With two strikes, Alonso fought off a 96-mph fastball on his hands to stay alive. Then Gausman tried to get him to chase another heater, this time outside the zone, about shin-high. Unfortunately for the Blue Jays starter, he got what he wanted. Alonso did swing, and somehow hit the impossible pitch 377 feet the other way.
“That’s why they call him the Polar Bear,” Soto said. “It’s tremendous power.”
Soto has studied his new teammate only since mid-February, when both arrived for spring training. But Brandon Nimmo has admired Alonso since he first made the Opening Day roster in 2019, and only Aaron Judge has hit more homers from that point on. Seeing him smash that pitch Friday was just another example of why Alonso is so uniquely dangerous and would’ve been nearly impossible to replace.
When I asked Nimmo how many players could reach for a fastball like that and still get it over the wall, he grinned.
“Not many people,” he said. “That’s why he’s Polar Bear Pete. He’s just brute strength. When he hits the barrel, it can leave anywhere, to any part of the ballpark. You love that in the middle of your lineup. It’s dangerous all the time.
“It doesn’t matter what the situation is — he always has the chance to leave the ballpark. I’m so happy for him. This is a great start and we know exactly what he’s capable of.”
So did everyone else in attendance Friday. But it’s still nice to have affirmation, and at this rate, Alonso — with 229 career homers — is closing fast on Darryl Strawberry’s franchise mark of 252. That’s going to be some party as well, preferably at Citi Field, and among the many reasons why it just feels right to have Alonso home again.
Despite all that business getting in the way over the winter, Alonso maintains that his heart never strayed from Flushing.
“Honestly, envisioning coming back, for me it was just all about winning,” said Alonso, who has 10 RBIs and a 1.183 OPS through his first seven games. “Knowing the culture here, knowing the guys, the camaraderie. You need a great combination of talent, hard work and chemistry — and obviously this place is familiar. I love it here, love playing at Citi, love being in New York.”
And Citi Field loved him right back Friday. As if there were ever any doubt, the Mets need their Polar Bear, too.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
