NEW YORK
Pete Alonso hit his 300th career home run Tuesday night at Citi Field, launching a tying shot in the ninth inning off Mets right-hander Kodai Senga. The Baltimore Orioles first baseman's milestone came against his former team, and Mets fans gave him a curtain call. Coby Mayo then secured the Orioles' 7-5 victory with an inside-the-park home run in the 11th inning.
The moment capped an emotional two-game return to New York for Alonso, who spent seven seasons with the Mets. On Monday, in his first visit to Citi Field as an opposing player, he went hitless in a 2-1 Orioles victory that eliminated the Mets from playoff contention.
Before Monday's first pitch, the Mets aired a nearly two-minute video tribute to Alonso, highlighting his franchise-record 264 homers and five All-Star selections. The video also noted his 2019 NL Rookie of the Year award, when he set a major league rookie record with 53 home runs, and featured his two Home Run Derby wins and his go-ahead ninth-inning homer in the Mets' 2024 wild-card series win over the Brewers.
A crowd of 35,800 fans gave Alonso a standing ovation and chanted his name before each of his four plate appearances Monday. As he walked to the plate, "Layla" played and the scoreboard displayed "Welcome Back, Pete." Alonso hugged Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and tipped his cap.
Alonso called the tribute "special and much appreciated." Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said it showed "how much impact a player can make on a fanbase, this city."
"So many good memories here," Alonso said before Monday's game. "I played with so many good people, talented people. It's going to be interesting to see what emotions kind of bubble up, because you never can anticipate things that happen."
In Monday's game, Alonso flied out to right field in the first inning, walked in the third and hooked a potential 300th homer foul into the upper deck, grounded out in the fifth and struck out in the eighth immediately before Gunnar Henderson's tiebreaking solo homer.
Alonso, 31, maintains a.268 batting average with 35 home runs and an American League-high 100 RBIs, along with an.859 OPS for the Orioles. He extended his consecutive games played streak to 567, the second longest among active players.
The Orioles remain three games behind Cleveland for the final American League wild card spot and sit in last place in their division.
