After Pete Alonso hit his 300th home run, a game-tying solo home run in the top of the ninth inning on Tuesday night, the Citi Field crowd's raucous reaction got the ex-Mets slugger out of the visitors' dugout for a curtain call.
"Everyone in the dugout was saying go out there," Alonso said about the curtain call after the Orioles completed a 7-5 extra-inning win. "And they were right."
Alonso has received an overwhelmingly warm reception in his first series back in Queens after signing a long-term deal with Baltimore this past offseason. And it has been a bit awkward for his former teammates as the home crowd continues to root for the visiting Alonso with every at-bat.
"I appreciate all the support," Alonso said about Mets fans, "especially for all the years I'm here, all the life I've lived here. Obviously they're recognizing that, and they're appreciating that. It's a two-way street, I really appreciate it."
Tuesday's starter Sean Manaea said he had never experienced anything like that from a home crowd supporting a visiting player, and it was "crazy."
"I played with Pete for a couple years, I know how much he means for this organization, how much he means for this city, he's an...