Pete Alonso delivered a dramatic moment against his former club on Tuesday night, launching his 300th career home run — a 414-foot shot — to pull the Baltimore Orioles level in the ninth inning at Citi Field.
Alonso, who returned to his old ballpark as a member of the Orioles, said the history of the place mattered to him but that his focus is on helping his current team win. “There’s a lot of history here with me,” he said after the game, adding: “It doesn’t matter where and when, I just want to help the team win. I’m just really, really happy for us to come back the way we did.” Orioles teammates doused him with a celebratory beer shower after the homer.
The game extended into extra innings, and in the 11th Coby Mayo ripped an inside-the-park home run to score the decisive run and send Baltimore to a 7-5 victory at Citi Field. The play proved to be the difference after Alonso’s late equalizer had forced the contest beyond nine innings.
The sight of Alonso connecting against the Mets — and the celebration that followed — provoked a strong reaction among the home crowd and, according to reports, drew annoyance from Mets pitcher Sean Manaea. Alonso’s departure from New York last offseason had already been a sore point for many Mets supporters, adding context to the charged atmosphere surrounding his return.
Beyond the milestone and the extra-inning finish, the game underscored the emotional dimensions that can accompany returns by high-profile former players, particularly when they make pivotal plays against the teams they once represented. The Orioles left Citi Field with the win, while the Mets were left to process both the late rally and the reactions it sparked among fans and opponents alike.