Lennon: Former Met Pete Alonso's curtain call at Citi Field after hitting tying HR for Orioles was a bit much

A curtain call? Seriously?

Just when you thought Pete Alonso’s return to Citi Field couldn’t get any more surreal than Monday’s homecoming group hug with Mets fans, the Polar Bear follies went next level Tuesday night.

Facing the newly-converted closer Kodai Senga, the same pitcher Alonso put on the IL last season by air-mailing a toss to first base, Flushing’s prodigal son blasted career homer No. 300 to tie the score at 3 in the ninth inning, paving the way for the Orioles’ eventual 7-5 victory over the Mets in the 11th.

PETE ALONSO TIES THE GAME WITH CAREER HOME RUN NO. 300!!! pic.twitter.com/le0lexCJoH

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 16, 2026

Of course there were more standing ovations, more “PETE A-LON-SO!” chants and yes, a curtain call for a tying homer by someone wearing an Orioles uniform. Alonso actually popped up from the dugout and raised his right hand to acknowledge the ovation.

Pete Alonso takes a curtain call at Citi Field after his 300th career home run pic.twitter.com/FWhWhiA8En

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 16, 2026

“Everyone in the dugout was saying go out there,” Alonso said. “And they were right.”

As far as some Mets were concerned, the reaction to Pete was dead-wrong. Can’t say I blame them either. Cheering for Alonso for a second day was a stretch to begin with. But a curtain call, at Senga’s expense, was a bridge too far.

“He’s one of the greats,” Sean Manaea said. “Unfortunately he’s not on the Mets anymore. Congrats to him, 300 home runs, super happy for him. But it’s just crazy how things kind of unfolded. I’ve got nothing but respect for him and I love him to death.

“As a team, as the 2026 Mets, I know we have definitely underperformed. But the guys in here work their [butt] off every single day, and to have that kind of reaction for an opposing player — could be anybody — it’s crazy to me. I’ve got nothing but respect for Pete, but I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

Neither had anyone else in the ballpark. And you can bet the Orioles found it hilarious, which shouldn’t make any self-respecting Mets fan feel great.

“I haven’t really seen a curtain call from a guy wearing gray [road] pants,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “So that was kind of cool.”

You got the sense the Mets were boiling-hot afterward. A few played along when Alonso was celebrated Monday night, but their patience had expired by the end of Tuesday’s 11-inning loss. Steve Cohen may own the Mets, but it’s clear who owns Citi Field as long as the Orioles are in town.

“I appreciate all the support,” said Alonso, who now has 36 homers and 101 RBIs, more than anyone on the Mets. “For all the years I’ve been here, all the life I’ve lived here. Obviously they’re recognizing that and they appreciate that. It’s a two-way street.”

In the ninth, Alonso took a pair of 80-mph ghost forks outside the strike zone, suggesting that maybe Senga might be extra cautious with the bases empty. When he tried to ghost him again, however, Alonso reached down and hammered Senga’s signature pitch.

Even with the game on the line, the lingering fans from the announced crowd of 28,097 still greeted Alonso with a standing ovation in the ninth, just as they had for all his previous at-bats in this series. And this 414-foot rainbow could have been lifted straight from Monday night’s two-minute video tribute, another picturesque Alonso 109-mph missile off the second-deck facade in leftfield. We’ve all been witness to the same Pete special so many times before.

But this was a remarkable scene. The loudest cheers of the night for an opponent’s tying homer in the ninth. Alonso seemed to float around the bases, and as soon as he disappeared in the dugout, the “PETE A-LON-SO!” chants ramped up again.

That’s when Alonso re-emerged from the dugout, helmet off, to salute the Citi serenade. There’s been some debate among Mets fans regarding whether or not they should cheer for Alonso against their own team, but that went totally out the window Tuesday night as they sided completely with the Polar Bear.

It didn’t stop with the Alonso love either. After he went back down the dugout stairs, the crowd quickly switched to “FIRE STEARNS!” chants at a decibel-level that was surprising given the number of empty seats. While fans did the same Monday during the first inning, that barrage didn’t last as long as Tuesday’s chorus, which continued to spike in volume. Just when the Mets thought they were past the Polar Bear circus, all it took was the history-making homer to drag president of baseball operations David Stearns back into the fray. The fans were more than eager to oblige, too.

Pete Alonso met up post game with Mike, Nick & Chris - the trio of Mets fans who caught his 300th career home run.

They exchanged the ball for signed baseballs, bats and Alonso to sign their jerseys.

Pete brought beers and offered the trio tickets to games in Baltimore pic.twitter.com/wxxiRlRXzf

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 16, 2026

It was poetic justice. Only the Mets could have their franchise home-run leader, who dethroned Darryl Strawberry in his final Flushing season, return to Citi and tack on another dinger milestone. Before Monday’s game, Alonso talked about how it would be “really sick” if both he and Francisco Lindor both notched No. 300 on the same night. So I asked the Mets shortstop Tuesday afternoon if he’d prefer to edge Alonso at the wire instead.

“I hope he gets it, but not here,” Lindor said Tuesday afternoon. “Or if we’re winning by 10, then let him have a solo shot.”

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way for Lindor or the Mets. Tuesday night wasn’t exactly a high-stakes showdown. The Mets were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention after the series-opening loss and the Orioles, though now more alive thanks to Alonso’s dramatic homer, weren’t looking like an October threat before arriving in Queens.

But don’t tell Alonso, or the Mets fans who showed up specifically to see him, that this visit by the Polar Bear is meaningless. His impact at Citi Field remains as loud as ever.