Pete Alonso hits homecoming homer in win Mets' 5-0 win over Blue Jays

Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News on Apr 4, 2025

Published in Baseball

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NEW YORK — After a winter of uncertainty, Pete Alonso finally came home to Citi Field, re-christening the ballpark in the best way he knows how.

Alonso’s first-inning opposite-field home run off Kevin Gausman led the Mets to a 5-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday afternoon. His third of the season and second in as many games, Alonso’s 377-foot shot to right field sent a sellout crowd into a frenzy. It’s not often that Flushing becomes the center of the action in New York City, but the excitement for the Mets this season is higher than it’s been in a decade.

Juan Soto made his Citi Field debut and Francisco Lindor, the heart and soul of the team, had the whole place singing “My Girl” as if on cue, but when Alonso walked up to the plate for his first at-bat of the day, the fans chanted his name so loud the whole place seemed to shake.

Facing Gausman, a right-hander with one on and one out, Alonso took a 1-2 fastball on the outside edge of the plate and drove it into the Cadillac Club suites that sit just beyond the right-field warning track. It gave the Mets an early 2-0 lead they would never relinquish.

It was the first time Alonso had even been in New York since October, when the Mets’ magical postseason run came to an end. After the World Series, the first baseman became a free agent for the first time, and while he always seemed destined to return to the place where it all started for him, there were moments over the winter when it looked like Alonso would end up somewhere else, with the Blue Jays even having had some interest.

Right before spring training, the Mets and the Polar Bear came to an agreement on a two-year, $54 million contract. Since then, Alonso, who went 1 for 3 with two runs scored, has made it known that Queens is exactly where he wants to be.

Pitching in an opener for the Mets for the third time in his career, right-hander Tylor Megill shut Toronto out over 5 1/3 innings, allowing only two hits, walking three and striking out four. It was one of his more efficient outings through the first five innings, with Megill needing less than 70 pitches to get through the order twice.

After getting the first out in the sixth, he walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander. The Mets went to the bullpen for Reed Garrett, who struck out the next two to keep the shutout intact.

In the bottom of the inning, Soto had his first big moment at the place he’ll call home for the next 15 years, when he doubled to right field off left-hander Mason Fluharty to score Lindor and make it 3-0. Fluharty, who took over for Gausman with one out in the inning, intentionally walked Alonso to put two on with one out for Brandon Nimmo, who flared one down the right side for another double

Up 4-0, Starling Marte hit a line drive right into the glove of George Springer in center field, but it was deep enough for Alonso to score from third, giving the home crowd plenty to cheer about.

Garrett, A.J. Minter and Max Kranick held Toronto scoreless the rest of the way, with Kranick, a lifelong Mets fan, pitching two big innings and getting the final out.

There was plenty to celebrate Friday afternoon in Flushing. It might be a long season, but it’s starting out on an optimistic note.