NEW YORK — Sixteen days ago, Pete Alonso was faced with an emotional predicament.
Hours before a late September Sunday night bout against the Phillies — the Mets‘ final regular-season contest at Citi Field — the slugger fielded questions about whether it would be his last home game with the club. He’s just weeks away from becoming one of the most coveted players in free agency. Back then — and now — there were and are no guarantees that Alonso would be the starting first baseman for the Mets next season. All year, Alonso maintained that he’s not thinking about that yet.
Before his first at-bat that night, Mets fans decided to give Alonso some love in the form of a stadium-wide standing ovation. Just in case it really was his final home game as a Met, they applauded Alonso for these past six seasons in Queens, where he hit 53 home runs and won the National League Rookie of the Year award, became a four-time All-Star and a two-time Home Run Derby champion, and crushed his first career postseason home run. But Alonso and his manager Carlos Mendoza kept repeating the same thing: It wouldn’t be his last home game this year.
While Alonso tipped his helmet to the fans for their support, and called it a “storybook” reception, he knew in his core he wasn’t done slugging in Queens yet.
“The whole vision, the whole goal was that wasn’t going to be the last game for us,” he said Tuesday, reflecting on the standing ovation. “So, collectively as a group, we want to stay locked in. But hopefully, we can have a lot more baseball here.”
Two weeks since that poignant moment, the Mets are back at Citi Field — ahead 2-1 in the National League Division Series against the Phillies after winning 7-2 in Game 3 — in part because of Alonso’s heroics. What a difference two weeks and multiple clutch home runs can make.
On Tuesday, Alonso’s opposite-field home run off Aaron Nola gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the second inning. It was his fourth career postseason home run, and he became the first Met since Daniel Murphy to homer in consecutive playoff games. Interestingly, all three of Alonso’s postseason home runs this year have been to the opposite field, which FOX Sports MLB analyst Álex Rodríguez said is a tell-tale sign that a power hitter is locked in. Alonso seemed to agree.
“Right now, I’m just trying to get a pitch I can handle and just put a good swing on it and stay within myself,” Alonso said. “If I’m hitting balls the other way, it’s typically a good sign.”
These postseason homers are also a good sign for his upcoming free agency. Two weeks ago, it seemed unlikely that Alonso would yield the kind of contract he’d want from a Mets organization he’s been a star of for the past six years.
And then he dramatically saved the Mets’ season last week in Milwaukee. New York was on the brink of elimination when the Polar Bear woke up and roared. And, for a player who thrives in the spotlight and feeds off the crowd’s energy, it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon, either.
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“He’s on,” Mendoza said of Alonso. “And I think we’ve been saying it the whole year. He can carry a team. He can carry us. And we’re here because of that big swing he got in Milwaukee.”
The first baseman’s three-run, go-ahead homer in the ninth inning in Milwaukee advanced the Mets to the NLDS and will forever be ingrained in the hearts and minds of fans. But, more than that, the unforgettable blast seemed to wake up a part of him that had been dormant this year.
Alonso’s future with the Mets has been in doubt largely because of his lackluster season — by his standards. His OPS+ (123), which he recorded for the second straight year, home runs (34), RBIs (88) and OPS (.788) all represented career lows for a full season.
Pete Alonso crushes a solo homer vs. Phillies
All year, teammates and Mets fans waited for Alonso to break out and provide Queens with his staple Polar Bear moment. But in his last seven regular-season games, as the Mets were fighting to clinch a postseason berth, the slugger hit just .120 with a .393 OPS, 10 strikeouts and no home runs. His .232 batting average and .761 OPS with runners in scoring position for the season were also career lows.
Whether the pressure of his walk year was getting to him is unclear. Alonso reiterated throughout the season that he was feeling positive about his preparation and that the clutch hits would come.
Finally, they did — and Alonso’s eccentric personality returned with them. When he was soaked in champagne in Milwaukee following perhaps the biggest home run of his career, Alonso introduced the Mets’ playoff pumpkin. “Nothing’s more like fall than playoff baseball and pumpkins,” he said, adding with a goofy smile that he picked the pumpkin himself. Moments like those are what indicate to Alonso’s teammates that he’s feeling his best, and more importantly, primed to produce at the plate.
“He’s a guy that is very emotional,” Francisco Lindor said. “He’s a guy who tries to hide his emotions at times, but most of the time he lets people know about it. But I think he’s just having a blast right now. He’s really enjoying himself. And I think he’s embracing those moments and I think he wants to be in those moments, as well. I’m happy for him.”
From left, Luis Severino, Pete Alonso and Jose Quintana of the New York Mets pose after Alonso hit a solo home run in the second inning against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
The Mets are better when Alonso is having fun. They’ve won all three playoff games that he’s homered in thus far, and those pivotal swings could play a big role in his upcoming contract negotiations, too.
Steve Cohen grew up a childhood Mets fan, and now he owns the team he loves and is trying his best to change the culture in Queens. Alonso’s omnipresent optimism and outward desire to play for the Mets for the rest of his career is a big part of that culture change. Now that he’s also producing in the playoffs, what’s stopping Cohen from forking over a contract that will satisfy Alonso, and perhaps make the soon-to-be 30-year-old a homegrown Met for life?
Alonso is doing his part, and he’s not done yet. Neither are the Mets, who are one win from advancing to their first NLCS since 2015. Alonso controls his own destiny, and if his 2024 postseason magic continues, he might just get exactly what he wants — a long-term extension to play for the organization he broke in with.
“One of my favorite teammates, Mike Napoli, said: ‘You want to be famous? Do it in the postseason,'” Lindor said. “This is the time to do it. You want to get paid? Do it in the postseason. A lot of players have made crazy money because they perform in the postseason. I hope [Alonso] continues to do that.
“I hope he goes crazy and makes as much as he wants to make.”
Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.
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