HOME SWEET HOME? PETE ALONSO RETURNS TO CITI FIELD AS AN ORIOLE
The Polar Bear walks back into the building he called home for seven seasons, grateful for the memories, the fans, and the chance to put on a baseball uniform—even if it's the wrong one.
There are some things in baseball that feel a little strange, no matter how many times you remind yourself that it's a business.
Pete Alonso walking into Citi Field wearing an Orioles uniform is one of them.
For seven seasons, the Polar Bear was one of the faces of the New York Mets. He hit home runs, broke records, won over a fan base, and became part of the fabric of a city that has a way of making its baseball players feel like family. On Monday, September 14, 2026, Alonso returned to the ballpark for the first time since leaving the Mets via free agency.
Only this time, he wasn't walking into the home clubhouse.
He was walking into the visitors' clubhouse.
And even Pete Alonso admitted that was a little weird.
"Honestly, it's a little weird," Alonso said during Monday's pregame press conference when asked about walking into the visiting clubhouse at Citi Field. "But I mean, because we're in the same building, still there's so much familiarity to it, and I mean, it feels good."
It was a homecoming, just not the kind Mets fans had hoped for when Alonso's free-agent journey began.
Alonso knew this day was on the schedule. When the Mets released their 2026 schedule, he knew he would eventually be returning to Citi Field in an Orioles uniform.
But knowing something is coming and actually experiencing it are two different things.
"You know, it's obviously when the schedule came out and it's like obviously one of those days where I knew it was coming," Alonso said. "But to be honest, we've been playing a lot of really important ball down the stretch. I knew it was coming, but it definitely came quicker than expected."
And when the day finally arrived, the memories came rushing back.
"Obviously lived a lot of life here," he said. "It's obviously really exciting to be back and it's really good to see all the guys and people over on the other side."
The "other side" is a phrase that takes a little getting used to when you're talking about Pete Alonso and the Mets.
For years, Alonso was one of the guys on the other side of the clubhouse door. The one greeting teammates, joking with the clubhouse staff, and preparing for another night under the Citi Field lights.
Now, he was the guy walking into the visitors' room.
Alonso's answer about the clubhouse said plenty about his relationship with the Mets organization.
He wasn't walking into an unfamiliar building. He was walking into the same building where he had spent years of his life. The same ballpark. The same familiar faces. Just a different room.
"Because of all that time coming up in the Mets organization and still knowing a ton of people over on the other side, like coaches, players, cooks, training staff, you name it, clubbies, still saying hello to all those familiar faces," Alonso said. "It's really good to see all the people over there."
There is something about that answer that tells you a lot about Pete Alonso.
He didn't just remember the home runs. He remembered the people.
The coaches. The trainers. The clubhouse attendants. The cooks. The staff members who were part of his daily life for seven seasons.
And when it came time to talk about his former teammates and the Mets organization, he made it clear that his feelings weren't complicated.
"I've played with so many good people, talented people," Alonso said. "And it's going to be interesting to see what emotions kind of bubble up, because you never can anticipate things that happen."
But there was one thing he knew for sure.
"I'm nothing but appreciative for the time, the memories," he said. "I feel very lucky."
The Mets fan base has always had a special relationship with Pete Alonso.
From the moment he arrived in the big leagues, the Polar Bear became one of those players who seemed to belong to the city. The home runs were spectacular, the personality was unmistakable, and the connection with the fans was real.
Even after leaving for Baltimore, that connection never disappeared.
"I mean, honestly, I'm very, very gracious and appreciative of all the years of support," Alonso said when asked about the continued love from Mets fans. "And I mean, it's really special to have that."
He knows it's been a while since he last wore the orange and blue.
"Especially, I know it's been a long time 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," he said.
"So, I always much appreciate it."
That may be the simplest way to describe the relationship between Alonso and Mets fans.
They appreciated what he gave them. He appreciated what they gave him.
And even with the uniform changed, that doesn't just disappear.
Every great Met has a moment that stands above the rest.
For some, it's a championship. For others, it's a playoff home run, a record-breaking performance, or a moment that defines an entire season.
For Pete Alonso, the answer came quickly.
When I asked what his greatest moment as a Met was, he didn't hesitate.
"I mean, there's a lot of good memories thinking back," Alonso said. "But I think one of my, I think my moment, I would say, would have to be the homer in the wild card in Milwaukee."
The home run came in the 2024 postseason, when Alonso delivered one of the biggest swings in Mets history.
The Polar Bear had already given Mets fans plenty of unforgettable moments during his time in Flushing. But that home run in Milwaukee was different.
It was October.
It was the playoffs.
It was the kind of moment that turns a good season into a memory that lasts forever.
"I think that's my favorite moment," Alonso said.
And if you were wondering which season stood out most to him, he had an answer for that, too.
"And honestly, like that 24 season was, I think was my favorite season for sure."
There is no shortage of great Pete Alonso memories. The record-setting rookie season. The Home Run Derby victories. The All-Star appearances. The countless times he launched a baseball into the seats at Citi Field.
But when asked to choose one, he went back to Milwaukee.
That tells you everything you need to know about what the 2024 Mets meant to him.
There was a time when many Mets fans hoped Alonso would finish his career in New York.
After all, he had become synonymous with the franchise. He was a homegrown star who had spent seven seasons in the big leagues wearing the Mets uniform.
But baseball doesn't always follow the script we write for it.
When Alonso entered free agency, the Baltimore Orioles moved quickly.
"Honestly, for me, going through the free agent process, Baltimore started the dialogue super, super early," Alonso said. "And really I didn't want to mess up a good thing."
The Orioles had a young team, a promising organization, and a plan that appealed to him.
"This organization has shown a lot of promise, we have a lot of young talent," he said. "And during that time, it's like, okay, this is what you'd call the front runner."
Alonso ultimately chose Baltimore.
And while that decision ended his time with the Mets, he made it clear that he holds no bitterness toward the organization.
"When the Mets, for them, it's like I respect their decision," he said. "And for me, it's their, the guys running the team, it's their prerogative to do their best, to do whatever they can, whatever they think is best."
Then came the line that perhaps best described Alonso's feelings about the two organizations.
"For me, it's like two things can be true about the same time," he said. "I'm very happy and appreciative of my time that I spent as a Met and I'm very, I'm beyond grateful and appreciative for the Baltimore Orioles."
There it is.
Two things can be true.
You can love what you had without regretting what you have now.
You can appreciate your Mets career and be happy in Baltimore.
And you can return to Citi Field, see familiar faces, hear the fans, and feel the memories without wishing away the present.
Alonso is also chasing another milestone.
With his 300th career home run on the horizon, he was asked how special it would be to reach that number—and whether doing it in a place like Citi Field would make it even more meaningful.
"Yeah, that could be really cool," Alonso said.
But the milestone conversation quickly became a two-player discussion.
"Also, I know Paco's (Francisco Lindor) chasing down that same milestone, so it would be really cool if both of us could do it the same game," Alonso said.
"And if that happens, I think that would be the first time ever."
The idea of Alonso and Francisco Lindor—two former teammates and two of the most recognizable faces of the Mets—reaching the 300-home-run milestone in the same game would certainly be something.
"Hopefully we win the game," Alonso added.
But if both players were to hit their 300th home run on the same day?
"That would be really sick."
Baseball has a way of producing moments that nobody sees coming.
And if the Polar Bear and the Mets' shortstop were to make history together, it would be one more unforgettable chapter in a relationship that has already produced plenty of them.
Alonso's first season in Baltimore has brought its own set of challenges and rewards.
A new team. A new city. A new clubhouse. A new routine.
But when asked about the adjustment, Alonso made it clear that baseball itself hasn't changed.
"Honestly, I think the biggest adjustment for me, like the new team, for me, I'm a ball player," he said. "You know, you go through ups and downs, and for me, my job's just saying go have great at-bats when the ball shows up over the plate, swing, hit it hard, and play good defense around the base as well, play clean baseball."
"It's the same job."
The biggest adjustment, however, wasn't baseball.
It was being a dad.
"I think the biggest thing for me was being a dad," Alonso said. "That was the biggest adjustment."
He explained that learning how to balance his responsibilities as a husband and parent with the demands of a major-league baseball season took some time.
"So it's like, okay, how do I make this adjustment as a husband and a parent," he said. "And I feel like it took a little bit to get the cadence down."
Once he found that rhythm, things began to fall into place.
"Once I kind of got that stuff down, then we were in a really good spot," Alonso said.
And he made sure to give the Orioles organization credit for helping make the transition easier.
"From staff, fans, teammates, coaches, everyone's rolled out the red carpet for my family and I," he said. "And they made the transition so easy."
"I want to give the Orioles organization so much credit because, again, they made Baltimore home very quickly, and forever gracious for that."
Even though Alonso is now an Oriole, New York remains a special place in his life.
Not just because of baseball.
Because of family.
Because of history.
Because of the memories made here long before he became the face of the Mets.
"New York is always going to feel like some sort of homecoming," Alonso said.
He recalled arriving in New York as a 21-year-old kid and being picked up in a van to go play for the Brooklyn Cyclones.
"Being a 21-year-old kid and then just kind of getting picked up in a van and going to the middle of Brooklyn to go play for the Cyclones," he said.
"I lived in Brooklyn, Coney Island doing that thing for a summer and then eventually coming back living in the city for six years."
But the connection goes deeper than baseball.
"My grandpa coming over, immigrating here, my wife's grandma immigrated through New York," Alonso said.
"My grandpa went to NYU, met my grandma here, so New York will always kind of be special, be a special place in our family."
He and his wife lived in the city for years, and that history isn't something that can simply be erased because he signed with another team.
"There's more things outside of baseball that make New York special," he said.
"Obviously we're here, been with the Mets organization for seven years in the big leagues. It's all special, professional-wise, life, family ties."
And then he summed it up perfectly.
"I feel very fortunate to have represented the Mets for the time I did," Alonso said.
"And now that I'm an Orioles, again, I just feel very fortunate, very blessed."
As the Orioles prepared to take the field at Citi Field, Pete Alonso knew there would be emotions.
He knew the fans would react.
He knew the faces on the other side of the clubhouse would be familiar.
And he knew that for the first time in his major-league career, he would be playing against the team that had made him a star.
But he also knew that baseball is a journey.
"I mean, honestly, it's going to be definitely different," Alonso said. "But again, there's a lot of, so many good memories here."
Those memories include the people who helped shape him, not only as a player, but as a teammate and a person.
"For me, it's part of the baseball journey, whether it be coaches, trainers, players," he said. "There's so many people that have helped kind of form me, not just as a player, but into kind of the person, teammate, man that I am today."
And when it comes to the Mets, he wasn't interested in rewriting history.
"I'm nothing but appreciative for the time, the memories," he said.
The Polar Bear may have been wearing an Orioles uniform on Monday night.
But the memories of Pete Alonso in a Mets uniform?
Those belong to New York.
And nobody is taking them away.
Here is the full press conference :
Comments