SI:AM | Mets’ Sean Manaea Thinks Curtain Call for Pete Alonso Was ‘Crazy’

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m glad Mets fans finally had something to cheer for this season, even if it was the opposing team.

In today’s SI:AM:
😀 Good news for the Mets
😔 Bad news for the Mets
🏈 Breer on Kenneth Walker III

Polar Bear melts hearts in Queens

The 28,000 fans in attendance at Citi Field last night went nuts for a game-tying homer hit in the ninth inning. The weird part, though, was that it was hit in the top of the inning, by a player on the visiting team.

Pete Alonso, the former Mets first baseman, hit a laser beam of a home run off of Kodai Senga to bring the Orioles level with one out in the ninth inning. It was as dramatic a moment as you can have in a September game between two sub-.500 teams. It was scorched at 109.6 mph—tying the game against his former team in his first series back in Queens—and was the 300th homer of his career.

Alonso punctuated the moment by emphatically hurling his bat back toward his team’s dugout.

What happened next was incredible.

After Alonso returned to the dugout, Mets fans chanted his name until he came out for a curtain call. He emerged from the dugout and waved to the crowd, eliciting another loud cheer. The fans then started chanting “Fire Stearns”—as in Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, the man who chose not to re-sign Alonso.

Pete Alonso received a curtain call from the Citi Field crowd 👏 pic.twitter.com/koK88H71XH
— MLB (@MLB) September 16, 2026

It was a remarkable scene. I can’t remember having ever seen a visiting player take a curtain call—let alone after a game-altering home run. If Alonso had hit his milestone homer in the fifth inning of a 10-run blowout, it’d be less surprising. But for fans to revel in their team’s collapse was fascinating. (The Orioles went on to win, 7–5, in 11 innings.)

The display of affection for the former Met appears to have rubbed the current Mets the wrong way. Interim manager Andy Green dodged questions about the reaction to the homer in his postgame press conference. Veteran pitcher Sean Manaea, who started the game, made his thoughts clear, though. Manaea stressed that he likes Alonso, but that “to have that kind of reaction to an opposing player—could be anybody—is crazy to me.” He used the word “crazy” multiple times in describing the scene and said he’d “never seen anything like that before.” Senga, who gave up the homer, said through an interpreter that he wasn’t bothered by the curtain call, though. “It shows how much [Alonso] was loved,” Senga said.

There are several factors at play here. For one, Alonso is beloved in New York. Not only is he one of the best power hitters in the majors (only Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber have hit more home runs since Alonso debuted in 2019), but he also became a fan favorite for his affable personality. His first game back in Queens on Monday attracted a crowd of 35,800, the Mets’ highest attendance for a weeknight game since June 11.

Mets fans aren’t just relishing the return of an old friend, though. They’re also expressing frustration about the current state of the team. They’re in the midst of a lost season in which first base has been the weakest link in an already rusty chain. (The Mets rank dead last in first base WAR, according to Fangraphs.) Seeing Alonso come up clutch was a painful reminder of what Mets fans are missing this season.

I think lots of Mets fans are pragmatic enough to realize that signing a 31-year-old first baseman to a five-year, $155 million contract isn’t a wise choice in the long run. By 2030, Alonso might devolve into a strikeout-prone DH. But can you blame the fans for focusing on the present last night?

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The top five…

… things I saw yesterday:
5. Coby Mayo’s three-run inside-the-park home run to give the Orioles the lead in the 11th inning.
4. Alexis Mac Allister’s perfect one-touch goal for Liverpool in a Carabao Cup win over Tottenham.
3. Junior Caminero’s walk-off opposite-field home run for the Rays.
2. Brayan Rocchio’s walk-off hit for the Guardians in a crucial game against the White Sox. Chicago won the first game of the series on Monday, so the winner of tonight’s rubber match will be in first place in the division with 11 days left in the season.
1. Elly De La Cruz’s hustle and awareness to turn an unorthodox double play.

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