The intensity and pressure of New York haven’t fazed Pete Alonso, and the Mets don’t expect the Subway Series to be any different.
Alonso has been the Mets’ best player, keeping them afloat despite injuries and underperformance around him, and now the rookie first baseman will get his first taste of what high-intensity baseball in this city is like when the two locals meet for a split doubleheader Tuesday in The Bronx.
“He’ll be fine. He probably loves this type of stage,” manager Mickey Callaway said before the scheduled opener was postponed by rain Monday night. “No matter where he is and what he’s doing, he’s prepared. He’s probably going to embrace these types of situations and be even better because of it.”
There’s no telling where the Mets would be without Alonso, their former second round pick and Rookie of the Year hopeful who started fast and hasn’t slowed down. The slugging infielder leads all rookies in home runs (21), RBIs (46), extra-base hits (35), slugging percentage (.597), total bases (139), and is tied for first among rookies in runs scored (37) and walks (21). He already has set a Mets rookie record for home runs before the All-Star break and is just five homers behind Darryl Strawberry’s franchise mark of 26.
“Obviously he’s been terrific for them. Obviously a guy that we’ve got to execute against or he’s a guy that is going to lose the ball on you,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s got tremendous power. I think he came up, it seemed like this spring, and just following that story a little bit, a lot of talk about him, he was coming to take that position.
“There’s a confidence that seems to come with him and he’s delivered on that. He’s gone and taken that job and obviously looks like he’s going to be a staple in their lineup for a long time.”
Alonso was excited about the opportunity, his first of what figures to be many games against the Yankees. He said he was looking forward to playing against one of the best teams in the sport and getting an up-close look at how intense the two fan bases can be when their respective teams are facing each other.
“It’s going to be a helluva time,” Alonso said. “It’s going to be fun.”
