Add The New York Post on Google Pete Alonso made his long-awaited return to Citi Field on Monday night and if there was any question about how the first baseman would be remembered by Mets fans, that was erased quickly.
Among a sea of Alonso’s No. 20 Mets jerseys, Alonso came back to Queens as No. 25 in the black and orange of the Orioles.
After visiting the Mets clubhouse to greet former teammates and staffers and shaking hands with team owner Steve Cohen behind the batting cage on the field before the game, Alonso received plenty of ovations and chants of his name — including during a video montage shown before first pitch.
But the most anticipated moment came when Alonso came to the plate for the first time as an Oriole two batters into the game.
After waiting nearly a year to see Alonso again, Mets fans didn’t waste any time in making their feelings known.
He received a lengthy standing ovation that he acknowledged before flying out to right field.
That’s when the lovefest ended and a loud “Fire Stearns” chant erupted before Gunnar Henderson mercifully flied out to end the inning.
Prior to the game, Alonso talked about why he remained so popular around his old stomping grounds.
“I care so much about leaving it all out on the field,’’ Alonso said outside the visiting clubhouse. “I put all the emotion I have into emptying the tank every night. I’m glad people appreciate that. For them to recognize that is special.”
Fittingly, Alonso was in the lineup for the first game of the series, as he has been for every game this season.
No one on the Mets can say they haven’t missed a game, and that reliability is just one of the parts of Alonso’s game the team has missed in this lost season.
“My job is to play, and I want to do whatever I can for my team to help win the game,’’ Alonso said. “For me, I love playing. I relish every opportunity I get to go out and put the uniform on. It’s a special opportunity to play baseball for a job. I take pride in it.”
The Mets were ready to move on from Alonso even before this season and he reiterated Monday that once Baltimore made a strong offer early last offseason, he was interested.
“I didn’t want to mess up a good thing,’’ Alonso said of why he was willing to act quickly when the Orioles came knocking with a five-year, $155 million contract offer.
As for the Mets and their decision to move on, Alonso said, “I respect their decision. The guys running the team, it’s their prerogative to do whatever they think is best. I respect it professionally. At the same time, I’m so stoked to be an Oriole. I feel very, very fortunate to be here. I feel very fortunate to play all those years I had with the Mets. Two things can be true.”
He recalled his favorite memory as a Met: “It would have to be the homer in the wild card in Milwaukee. … That ’24 season was my favorite season, for sure.”
But he was realistic enough to acknowledge the rough times in Queens, as well.
View this post on Instagram As for this year’s disappointing Mets team, Alonso said, “I know there’s so much talent over there. I’ve been part of teams with a lot of talent that didn’t get it done. The years that stick out in my mind [are] ’21 and ’23. You can have all the talent and then injuries [happen] or things are not clicking. It’s baseball. You hate to say that, but it happens. You can’t necessarily predict things and have things work out in a perfect manner.”
And while Alonso’s bat helped get the Orioles back into the wild-card race last month, they’ve slipped out of it once again.
But for a night, he had reason to look back fondly on his days with the Mets.
“New York is always gonna feel like some kind of homecoming,’’ Alonso said, recalling his family’s ties to the city, as well as his days playing for Single-A Brooklyn after he was drafted out of Florida in 2016. “New York will always be a special place for my family.”
