The last time Pete Alonso played at Citi Field, a sold-out crowd showered him with cheers during a first-inning standing ovation.
It was Sept. 22, and Alonso, an impending free agent, was playing what could have been his final home game in a Mets uniform.
But Alonso didn’t see it that way.
Both the first baseman and his manager, Carlos Mendoza, expressed confidence before that regular-season home finale that they would return to Citi Field this year, knowing full and well that it would take some road heroics to bring playoff baseball back to Queens.
And here they are.
Tuesday’s NLDS Game 3 against the Phillies marked the Mets’ first home game in 16 days, representing something of a fulfilled promise.
“It’s great,” Alonso told the Daily News before Tuesday’s game. “The job’s not finished. We need to keep going, but this is what we’ve worked for all year, so this is really exciting.”
During those chaotic two-plus weeks between home games, the Mets made five stops in three cities after Hurricane Helene disrupted a pivotal series in Atlanta.
Francisco Lindor hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the ninth inning of the Mets’ 161st game of the season, clinching a playoff spot.
Alonso delivered his own heroics in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Wild Card round in Milwaukee, clubbing a go-ahead three-run homer in the ninth inning to help the Mets advance.
“That’s the coolest baseball moment I’ve had in my career,” Alonso said Tuesday, “so it’s really special.”
And the Mets won in comeback fashion in Game 1 of the NLDS in Philadelphia, only to relinquish a pair of leads in Game 2 as the Phillies evened the best-of-five series as it shifted to Queens.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Mendoza said of his team’s path back to Citi Field.
“We had to go through a lot, not only traveling but playing good teams. We needed to get to the playoffs, then advance, and win that Wild Card. But I always have faith in the guys, in the players. We continued to believe.”
Alonso, 29, hit .240 with 34 home runs, 88 RBI and a .788 OPS this season, his sixth with the Mets. His 226 home runs rank third in franchise history, and just 26 behind all-time leader Darryl Strawberry’s 252.
The future remains uncertain for Alonso, who described the standing ovation last month as a “storybook” moment. But with the Mets in the midst of a playoff run, Alonso hopes to add more storybook moments this October.
“Hopefully we keep it going,” Alonso said. “I just want to keep contributing the best way I can, every single inning.”