Pete Alonso spent seven years turning Citi Field into his own building. On Monday night he walked into the visiting clubhouse there for the first time, and by the time the Mets finished playing his tribute video, the place sounded like he had never left.
Mets fans chanted his name during batting practice. They stood for him during pregame introductions. His former teammates — Francisco Lindor among them — applauded from the other dugout. The Orioles' first baseman, nine months into a five-year, $155 million contract in Baltimore, spent most of the day trying to describe what that felt like and mostly landing on gratitude.
"I'm very, very gracious and appreciative of all the years of support," Alonso said before the game. "I know that I've been an Oriole now. It's been almost a complete year, and still to have that support, it really means a lot."
Pete Alonso returns to Queens.
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) September 14, 2026
"A Little Weird," But Familiar
Alonso said he knew this date was coming from the moment the schedule dropped, and that the stretch run had a way of making it arrive faster than expected. The strangest part, he said, wasn't the crowd. It was the walk to the wrong side of a building he knows by heart.
"Honestly, it's a little weird," he said of the opposing clubhouse. "But because we're in the same building, there's still so much familiarity to it. It feels good."
That familiarity extends well past the roster. Alonso came up through the Mets organization and made a point of naming everyone he went looking for on Monday afternoon.
"Coaches, players, like cooks, training staff, you name it. Clubbies," he said. "Still saying hello to all those familiar faces. It's really good to see all the people over there."
Asked what he expected to feel once he was standing in the batter's box with the Mets across from him, Alonso didn't pretend to know.
"It's going to be interesting to see what emotions kind of bubble up, because you never can anticipate things that happen," he said. "There's so many good memories here. I played with so many good people, talented people."
He kept circling back to the same idea — that the people in that building shaped more than his swing.
"There's so many people that have helped kind of form me, not just the player, but into kind of the person, teammate and man that I am today," Alonso said. "I'm nothing but appreciative for the time, the memories. I feel very lucky."
On Free Agency, and Why It Was Baltimore
The question that has hovered over Alonso's departure all season came up again: was he surprised it didn't work out with New York? His answer, in short, was that Baltimore simply moved first and moved hard.
"Baltimore started the dialogue super, super early, and really I didn't want to mess up a good thing, because this organization has shown a lot of promise," Alonso said. "Like we have a lot of young talent. And during that time it's like, OK, this is what you call the front runner."
He declined to take a shot at the front office that let him go.
"I respect their decision," he said. "It's their prerogative to do whatever they think is best. So for me, I respect it professionally."
Alonso has said some version of this repeatedly since signing, and he said it again Monday.
"I've kind of been very vocal about this. Like, two things can be true at the same time," he said. "I'm very happy and appreciative of my time that I spent as a Met, and I'm beyond grateful and appreciative for the Baltimore Orioles."
Pressed on his favorite Mets memory, he didn't hesitate long: the go-ahead home run in the ninth inning of the 2024 Wild Card Series in Milwaukee, the swing that kept that October alive.
"That 24 season was, I think, my favorite season for sure," he said.
Two Players, 299 Home Runs Apiece
The subplot that made this series more than a homecoming: Alonso arrived at Citi Field with 299 career home runs. So did Lindor. Both are one swing from 300, in the same ballpark, in the same series.
Alonso — whose 264 home runs as a Met are a franchise record, including 123 at Citi Field — has thought about the symmetry.
"That could be really cool," he said of reaching the milestone where he started. "Also, I know Paco's chasing down that same milestone. So it'd be really cool if both of us could do it in the same game. And if that happens, I think that'd be the first time ever. And hopefully we win the game."
Through six innings of a 1-1 game Monday night, Alonso was 0-for-2 with a walk, with No. 300 still pending. Whenever it comes, it will make him the 20th player in Orioles history to reach 300 career home runs.
Albernaz: "The Most Prepared Position Player I've Been Around"
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz had the same read on the day that Alonso did — that the emotion was coming, and that his first baseman would handle it.
"Obviously, he's played in New York, so he understands the fan base and dynamic here," Albernaz said. "I'm sure there'll be some emotions for Pete. I'm sure the tribute video, I would imagine there would be some type of ovation for his first at-bat. So it's dealing with that emotion as well. But if any player is equipped to handle that, it's Pete."
Albernaz's larger point was about the thing Alonso has done all year that doesn't show up in a highlight package: show up. Alonso has played in every one of Baltimore's games this season, batting .269 with 35 home runs and a league-leading 100 RBI.
"Pete's the most prepared position player I've been around," Albernaz said. "Consistency like that doesn't happen by accident. He puts a ton of work in throughout the year — spring training, offseason. His preparation, his attention to detail is off the charts."
Alonso framed his own durability more simply.
"It's my job to play," he said. "I relish every opportunity I get to put the uniform on, go out there and play. I get to play baseball as a job. So I take pride in that — not just for the team, the organization, but for my teammates and the fans as well."
Albernaz also pointed to how Alonso weathered a slow April under the weight of a nine-figure deal.
"He came in, signed his free agent deal, obviously with high expectations, and he didn't have the start that he wanted, but he was unfazed by it," Albernaz said. "Kept working, and now next thing you look up, he has 35 and 100."
The Adjustment Wasn't Baseball
Alonso said the hardest part of changing organizations had nothing to do with a new clubhouse or a new league. It was becoming a father.
"For me, I'm a ballplayer. You go through ups and downs, and my job's the same," he said. "But I think the biggest thing for me was being a dad. That was the biggest adjustment. So it's like, OK, how do I make this adjustment as a husband and a parent? I feel like it took a little bit to get the cadence down."
Albernaz said the organization's job during that stretch was mostly to get out of the way and be available.
"Just unconditional support and love for him," he said. "For us, it's being the sounding board for him, all the little stuff on and off the field that he needs help to support — whether it be babysitter, whether it be child care at the stadium, whatever that looks like."
Alonso wanted the credit to go the other direction.
"From staff, fans, teammates, coaches, everyone rolled out the red carpet for my family and I, and they made the transition so easy," he said. "They made Baltimore home very quickly, and I'm forever gracious for that."
Also From Albernaz
Samuel Basallo is playing through a right shoulder issue, and the Orioles are managing his workload accordingly after he sat out a game. "We're just trying to be — not cautious is the right word — but making sure that it doesn't come up and bother him," Albernaz said, referencing a swing earlier in the series in Toronto where the discomfort was visible. Shutting the catcher down is not on the table right now, because Basallo won't hear it. "He's fighting to stay on the field," Albernaz said. "He wants to be out there and play and contribute and help us win. But also, the best version of Sammy is going to help us win."
The Orioles came into the series at 72-78, four games back of Cleveland for the final American League wild-card spot with 12 to play after dropping the series in Toronto. Albernaz wasn't writing it off: "Even though we lost the series in Toronto, we're still in it."