Calling the Pen: Alonso’s extraordinary visit to New York lifts Orioles’ faint hopes

Something extraordinary happened this week to someone who carries himself like an ordinary guy but is doing extraordinary things.

Pete Alonso returned to Citi Field for the first time since he hit 264 home runs for the Mets in his seven seasons. He signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles last December, a signing that lifted the hopes of Oriole fans while dispiriting Mets fans. They showed their appreciation for Alonso from the time he first walked back onto the field in Flushing Meadows. He got a standing ovation in his first at-bat, and the cheers never stopped.

What was most remarkable was the ovation he received when he hit his 300th career home run in a moment that had a Hollywoodesque feel. Down a run in the ninth on Tuesday, and after he had shouted instructions to Dylan Beavers to look for the forkball from Kodai Senga, Alonso belted a forkball 414 feet for his 300th homer. It tied the game the Orioles would win in the 11th on an inside-the-park homer by Coby Mayo.

That the timing of the milestone homer would come at Citi Field was remarkable. That it would come in the ninth with the Orioles down a run and still pursuing a wild-card berth made it feel like a scene from The Natural, with Alonso playing the part of Wonderboy instead of the name of his bat, to which he gave a mighty toss.

The Hollywood feel extended to the ovation. A visiting player had just tied the game in the ninth and was receiving a standing ovation. That visiting player was coaxed by the fans to come out of the dugout for a curtain call. It was an extraordinary reaction for a visiting player, even one the fans have so much affection for.

“It’s crazy,” Mets pitcher Sean Manaea said. “Pete’s not here. … He’s just not here. I know everyone loves him. He’s the man. But he’s not here. So to see the reaction from the fans like that, I don’t know. It was just different. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

There was another memorable scene after the game.

The home run hit the facade between the upper and lower stands in left field, the ball coming down into the hands of three young men who were Met fans but Alonso fans even more. They brought the ball to Alonso after the game, and his reaction was one of genuine gratitude. He shook the hand and gave a Polar Bear hug to each one. He signed the backs of their jerseys. He signed bats and balls and invited them to his new home, Camden Yards, where he promised to take care of them. Alonso’s teammates talk about his authenticity, and it was on display in those moments after he had led the Orioles to one of its most emotional wins of the season.

Alonso homered again in his first at-bat on Wednesday to lead the Orioles to a 7-1 win and a sweep of the Mets. The 31-year-old first baseman has hit 37 home runs and driven home 102 runs this season while emerging as the leader this team needed. He has become their driving force, refusing to give up on their chances for a postseason berth as they sit 2 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox (and also trail Texas and Toronto) with just nine games to play.

“There’s no magic number,” Alonso said. after Wednesday’s win. “We’ve just got to take it one day at a time. Win against whoever’s in front of us that day, go 1-0 every single day, and I think that’s the thing. You can’t look too far ahead, especially where we’re at right now.

“You can’t look in your crystal ball. The biggest thing that we can do right now is go out there, play the best to our ability every single night, do whatever we can to win the game. There’s no competing anymore. It’s just doing everything necessary to win the game that night. It doesn’t matter if it looks good, doesn’t matter if it looks ugly. Got to win each night.”

In a season of ups and downs, underachievement and disappointment, Alonso has been a star who’s gotten brighter. He is carrying the Orioles on his broad back and determined to drive them to a playoff spot, as unlikely as that is at this point.

But there’s a reason we like Hollywood endings and if one were to occur, it would be fitting that Alonso would be the leading man — an ordinary guy doing extraordinary things.