New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso shared more information about what can politely be referred to as a unique celebration he’s displayed during and following wins this season:
“I stole that from a teammate last year,” Alonso explained during an appearance on WFAN’s “Carton and Roberts” program, per Ryan Chichester of Audacy.
Alonso generated headlines with his actions on multiple occasions over the past week or so, such as during New York’s come-from-behind 8-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on May 17. As mentioned by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Mets prospects Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez both delivered home runs in that win capped off by Alonso crushing a walk-off blast in the bottom of the 10th inning:
“I just thought it was wild,” Alonso said about that night. “For me, watching two young kids come up clutch in huge moments for us, that was remarkable. It won’t happen again, but I was just having a good time.”
Not everyone is amused by Alonso’s antics that included the 28-year-old using colorful language shortly after he ended his home-run trot on May 17. Per Michael Blinn of the New York Post, former NFL quarterback and current radio host Boomer Esiason called the celebration “kind of the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen” during Monday’s edition of the WFAN morning show. Co-host Gregg Giannotti suggested Alonso found a new superstition now that the Mets “started to win.”
Meanwhile, Alonso declined to reveal during his radio interview who “gifted” the Mets with the celebration last year.
“I’ll just say this. he’s no longer with the Mets anymore,” Alonso continued. “But he’s a buddy of mine.”
While one can’t know, for sure, logic suggests the mild-mannered Jacob deGrom wouldn’t be responsible for such a public display of emotion. The two-time National League Cy Young Award winner left the Mets after the 2022 season and signed a five-year contract with the Texas Rangers this past December.
As for Alonso and the 26-25 Mets, they began Friday trailing the first-place Atlanta Braves by five-and-a-half games in the NL East standings. New York opens a three-game series at the 22-29 Colorado Rockies on Friday night.
