The applause rolled on for 39 seconds, from the first roar to the first pitch — the fourth major ovation of the night for Pete Alonso at Citi Field. Mets fans had already chanted his name as he emerged from the dugout, again when he took his place along the third-base line, and once more during the welcome-home video. Then the game resumed. Jonah Tong got Alonso to lift a short fly ball to right field.
The cheers returned almost immediately, only to shift into a far sharper message echoing across the ballpark: “FIRE STEARNS!” The chant moved from section to section. “FIRE STEARNS!”
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns caught a break when Tong finished a clean 1-2-3 inning. A fast-thinking Citi Field staffer then helped redirect the mood by putting Howie Rose’s image on the scoreboard. Even the most frustrated Mets fans were not about to let the beloved broadcaster become collateral damage in their anger at Stearns.
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Before the game, Alonso spent 15 minutes speaking with reporters, revisiting memories and accepting the reality of life in a new city. Still, he was thankful for what he expected — and received — from the Citi Field crowd: a warm, unmistakably affectionate polar bear hug on his return home.
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