Manaea Fires Back At Fans About Their Alonso Love
· Yahoo Sports
Former New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso hit his 300th career home run last night at Citi Field for his old team, and in the process he wrecked a win that was one out away from happening. Mets fans gave him plenty of love that included a curtain call after the game-tying homer that led to a 7-5 win in 11 innings by the Baltimore Orioles, and at least one current Mets players wasn’t all that happy about it.
Mets starter Sean Manaea pitched well enough to win, but he was one of the players victimized by Alonso’s homer off erstwhile closer Kodai Senga, and he thinks fans should be about the home team.
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"As the 2026 Mets, I know we have definitely underperformed. But we are -- the guys in here work their ass off every single day, and to have that kind of reaction to an opposing player, could be anybody, is crazy to me," said Manaea in an ESPN/AP report. "Again, I've got nothing but respect for Pete. But yeah, just never seen anything like that before.
"Pete's not here," the veteran left-hander added. "He's just not here. So I know everybody loves him. He's the man. But yeah, he's not here. So to see the reaction from the fans like that, I don't know, it's just different."
Very different, to say the least. Mets fans are intent on expressing their anger over a season that’s gone completley sideways, and Alonso is their chosen vehicles.
It is a unique relationship, though. Alonso acknowledged that after getting a beer shower from his Orioles teammates after the win, which helped keep the Orioles’ faint playoff hopes alive.
"There's a lot of history here with me," Alonso said. "It doesn't matter where and when, I just want to help the team win. I'm just really, really happy for us to come back the way we did."
The evening also included chants of “Fire Stearns” as the Mets fade down the stretch, and those won’t be stopping when the Orioles leave town. The Mets have now lost four of their last five to the New York Yankees and the Orioles, and they’re back in the basement of the NL East after briefly escaping.
Mets owner Steve Cohen is standing behind Stearns so far, but there’s not a lot of love there among the fan base. It’s going to take a lot to turn the Mets around next year, and Mets fans clearly don’t believe Stearns is the GM who can get it done.