After a winter of uncertainty, Pete Alonso lastly got here house to Citi Subject, re-christening the ballpark in one of the simplest ways he is aware of how: with a house run.
Alonso’s first-inning opposite-field bomb led the Mets to a 5-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday afternoon.
“It was pretty cool, I’m not going to lie,” stated supervisor Carlos Mendoza. “You’re in the dugout and everybody is kind of waiting for that moment as he’s walking toward the plate, [and then] he gets a standing ovation.”
After which he hit one out of the park.
His third of the season and second in as many video games, Alonso’s 377-foot shot despatched a sellout crowd right into a frenzy. It’s not usually that Flushing turns into the middle of the motion in New York Metropolis, however the pleasure for the Mets this season is larger than it’s been in a decade.
Juan Soto made his Citi Subject debut and Francisco Lindor, the center and soul of the crew, had the entire place singing “My Girl” as if on cue, however when Alonso walked as much as the plate for his first at-bat of the day, the followers chanted his title so loud the entire place appeared to shake.
“It was sick,” Alonso stated of the ovation. “That type of stuff is what you dream about as a kid. To have that type of support being reciprocated, I mean, it’s really special, for sure, and I enjoyed every second of it.”
Dealing with right-hander Kevin Gausman with one on and one out, Alonso took a 1-2 fastball proper off the surface fringe of the plate and drove it into the Cadillac Membership suites in proper subject. It gave the Mets an early lead they might by no means relinquish.
“For him to go out there in his first at-bat and go the other way, it kind of set the tone right away,” Mendoza stated. “First at-bat of the season here at Citi Field for him after the offseason with all the rumors — that’s a pretty cool feeling for him and for all of us. He got us going there.”
It was the primary time Alonso had even been in New York since October, when the Mets’ magical postseason run got here to an finish. After the World Sequence, the primary baseman turned a free agent for the primary time, and whereas he all the time appeared destined to return to the place the place it began for him, there have been moments over the winter when it regarded like Alonso would find yourself someplace else.
For a short time, it virtually regarded like Alonso was going to finish up taking part in for the crew within the different dugout.
“I didn’t want to imagine it,” stated Alonso’s longtime teammate Brandon Nimmo. “But there was a time there where things were getting pretty sticky.”
Proper earlier than spring coaching, the Mets and the Polar Bear got here to an settlement on a two-year, $54 million contract. Since then, Alonso, who went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, has made it recognized that Queens is strictly the place he desires to be.
“You need a great combination of talent, hard work and chemistry,” Alonso stated. “And obviously this place is familiar. I love it here, I love playing at Citi, I love being in New York and it checks all those boxes for me. And for me, it was the best option. It’s just such an easy decision to come back.”
Within the backside of the sixth, Soto had his first huge second on the place he’ll name house for the following 15 years, when he doubled to proper subject off left-hander Mason Fluharty to attain Lindor and make it 3-0. Fluharty, who took over for Gausman with one out within the inning, deliberately walked Alonso to place two on with one out for Nimmo, who pulled one down the proper facet for an RBI double.
Up 4-0, Starling Marte hit a line drive proper into the glove of George Springer in middle subject, but it surely was deep sufficient for Alonso to attain from third, making it 5-0.
Pitching in an opener for the Mets for the third time in his profession, right-hander Tylor Megill shut Toronto out over 5 1/3 innings, permitting solely two hits, strolling three and placing out 4. Reed Garrett, A.J. Minter and Max Kranick held Toronto scoreless the remainder of the way in which, with Kranick, a lifelong Mets fan, pitching two huge innings and getting the ultimate out.
Loads of gamers come by way of New York that may’t wait to get out, however Alonso’s gregarious nature, his want to be a part of the group and, after all, his game-breaking house runs, have endeared him to the fanbase. There was lots to rejoice Friday afternoon in Flushing. It could be a protracted season, but it surely’s beginning out on an optimistic word with Alonso again within the place the place he’s referred to as house since 2019.
“This was super picturesque,” Alonso stated. “I don’t think it could have gone any better. Rain held off, it was super comfortable temperature-wise, like a nice 70-degree spring day. And people were super stoked. The energy was super high the entire game in the ballpark. And also a Mets W? I mean, you couldn’t write up a better start to a home opener.”
Initially Printed: April 4, 2025 at 6:07 PM EDT
