Erik Boland: Orioles' Pete Alonso has no bitter feelings toward Mets after cold goodbye
Orioles' Pete Alonso rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Yankees on Wednesday in Baltimore. Credit: AP/Stephanie Scarbrough
BALTIMORE – Last winter Pete Alonso traded in the orange, blue and white he wore the first seven years of his big-league career for the orange, black and white of the Orioles.
Comfortable in his new uniform from Day 1 in Sarasota, Fla., the spring training home of the Orioles, the first baseman quickly emerged as a clubhouse leader for a young, up-and-coming team trying to find its way in the American League East.
But that doesn’t mean the 31-year-old Alonso has forgotten his days in Queens, where he hit 264 of his 292 career home runs.
And, Alonso said, when he thinks of his career with the Mets, there’s nothing “spiteful” that comes to mind because of the way it ended – with president of baseball operations David Stearns and, by extension, owner Steve Cohen delivering a message that boiled down to: don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
“Just because I’m here, doesn’t mean I’m not appreciative and [don’t] look back with fond memories because there’s some great people still there,” Alonso told reporters from Newsday and the Post before Wednesday night’s game against the Yankees at Camden Yards. “There’s some great people, whether it be coaches, trainers, clubbies, you name it, teammates. There’s so many people I’ve lived a lot of life with… and those are memories that have shaped me into the man and the player I am today. Forever grateful and always appreciative of the time spent there.”
It has, of course, been a lost Mets season, one that saw manager Carlos Mendoza get fired and the club conduct a fire-sale before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
It goes without saying – certainly from the standpoint of Mets fans given what a black hole first base has been – Alonso’s presence has been missed.
Entering Wednesday, Alonso, appearing in 126 of the Orioles first 127 games, was hitting .267 with 28 homers, 23 doubles and a .854 OPS. Home run No. 29 came later that night, an opposite-field shot to right-center off Will Warren.
It has been another standout season for the five-time All-Star, though this year started miserably. Through the Orioles' first 47 games, Alonso was hitting just .215 with eight homers and a .712 OPS (he was hitting .198 with four homers entering May). That coincided with the Orioles, a hot pick among pundits before the start of the season, getting off to a brutal start.
Alonso rebounded, and not coincidentally, so did the Orioles. Despite a disappointing 61-65 record going into Wednesday, Baltimore sat just one game behind the Rangers for the third wild-card spot in a weak American League.
The Orioles entered Wednesday 22-17 since July 1, with Alonso hitting .306 with nine homers and a .948 OPS in that stretch, including slashing .500/.587/.947 in his previous 10 games (19-for-38).
“We’ve got a really good opportunity in front of us, and we just want to do the best we can every single day to be able to clinch that last playoff spot, or any playoff spot,” Alonso said. “It’s really an exciting time right now and I think any team where it’s like, ‘Hey, you’re only a game out of it,’ this deep into August… I think a lot of people would take it. Obviously, we haven’t played our best baseball collectively, but I feel like as we’ve gained some momentum moving along in the second half, [our] best baseball’s ahead of us.”
Looming on the Orioles schedule – though “looming” may be too strong of a word – is a series Sept. 14-16 at Citi Field against his former team. Alonso said all that will come with that, including what one would assume will be multiple raucous ovations from the crowd in appreciation of a homegrown player who turned into an All-Star, is not currently on his mind.
“Obviously, it’s not at the top of the priority list right now because, again, I just want to focus on today and every single team that we’re playing,” he said. “That’s the focus. For me, I know that’s coming down the road pretty soon, but I have business to take care of every single day.”
Alonso said he remains aware of what is going on with the Mets and still keeps up with some of his “buddies” there, including Sean Manaea and Francisco Lindor.
“Sean, for example, I know he’s been pitching really well, and I'm happy that Francisco is healthy and back in there,” Alonso said. “There’s a lot of really good people for me that are still over there and now, unfortunately, other places after the deadline. But for people who are good buddies of mine, I always try to keep track and see how they’re doing.”
As for Alonso, in a new league and with a new team, he made clear he’s doing just fine. He said he is happy to be “in a place where they see me here not just for the short term but for a long-term period of time,” and to be “a cornerstone in the franchise.”
“Obviously, it’s nice, but I just want to make good on their belief in me,” he said. “And I just want to do that by playing well and helping this team win ballgames. It’s as simple as that.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
