Pete Alonso made an immediate statement in his first at-bat at Yankee Stadium as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, launching a towering home run that felt all too familiar to Mets fans who watched him do it for seven seasons.
The slugger known as "Polar Bear" tied the game 1-1 in the second inning with a rocket off Yankees starter Will Warren, sending it deep into the right-field second deck. It was the kind of powerful swing that made him a fan favorite in Queens and now has Orioles fans dreaming big.
"It's awesome to come in wearing new colors," Alonso said after Baltimore's 7-2 loss. "Instead of being a crosstown rival, now we're a divisional rival. That adds a whole new layer to it."
Alonso signed a massive $155 million, five-year deal with Baltimore in December after the Mets surprisingly let him walk. Friday marked his 20th career game at Yankee Stadium and his eighth home run at the ballpark — proving that some things don't change, even with a new uniform.
While Alonso is still finding his rhythm with a .203 average, he's shown flashes of his old self with five homers and 14 RBIs. Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz sees the potential bubbling beneath the surface.
"He's showing flashes of the Pete Alonso we all know and love," Albernaz said. "It's probably just getting used to the change of scenery and getting into the flow of the season."
The transition hasn't been without its emotional moments. Walking into Yankee Stadium — a place filled with memories from his Mets tenure and even earlier days playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones — brought back plenty of reflection for Alonso.
"You go down memory lane," he said. "There's a lot of things you think about just being here for so long. My first taste of professional baseball was playing for the Cyclones and working my way up."
The Mets' decision not to offer Alonso a contract was part of a broader roster shakeup that saw Edwin Díaz leave and Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil traded after a disappointing 83-79 season that ended one game shy of the playoffs. Alonso, meanwhile, feels like he's found the perfect new home in Baltimore.
"Both the Orioles as an organization and myself, I feel like we align and fit perfectly," he said. "When you have something good, you focus on it."
One thing notably absent from Alonso's departure? Any communication from Mets owner Steve Cohen or president of baseball operations David Stearns before he signed with Baltimore. For Alonso, the respect from his former teammates and coaches was what mattered most.
"Having that respect from the guys I was with every day, the guys I went to battle with — from the manager to the players — that's obviously nice," Alonso said. "But there's no hard feelings. It's baseball, and I'm excited for what's ahead."