In another bizarre moment from a series already overflowing with them, Pete Alonso delivered a historic, game-tying homer at Citi Field — then soaked in the cheers of Mets fans who had just watched him threaten to take a game away from their own team.
With one out in the top of the ninth Tuesday and the Mets protecting a one-run lead, Alonso saw a 2-0 ghost forkball from Kodai Senga that failed to vanish. Instead, the pitch sat plainly in the heart of the strike zone.
Alonso did not miss. He turned on the offering and blasted the 300th home run of his career in a stadium where he has hit so many before.
The blast itself was dramatic, but the response around Citi Field was even more striking. Alonso flipped his bat aside and rounded the bases as much of the crowd of 28,097 cheered.
“Pete Alonso” chants rolled through the ballpark until Alonso — playing as a visitor and having just tied the game at 3-3 — emerged for a curtain call. For a Mets fan base with little else to celebrate, the support belonged to the star they feel got away.
When the Alonso chants finally faded, they were replaced by a loud, stadium-wide chorus of “Fire Stearns” across Queens.