The Mets wish their opening series against the Phillies had gone better, but even after losing two out of three, the excitement of playing in front of fans for the first time since 2019 was hard to ignore.
Even if those fans were boisterous Philly fanatics.
“Playing the first three games in Philly, I don’t think I’ve ever been that happy to see a bunch of Philadelphia fans, Philadelphia Phillies fans,” Pete Alonso said prior to Thursday’s home opener. “They were really enthusiastic, they were into the game, and it was fun.”
Thursday marks the first time since Sept. 29, 2019, that fans will be in attendance at Citi Field. The first three games of the year brought many more boos than cheers given the venue, but even that was refreshing after a season of pumped-in crowd noise and cardboard cutouts in 2020.
“I know they were booing us, but I miss that in a way,” Alonso said. “That makes me that much more excited to get back here to Queens and back home to Citi because to me, this place is really special to me and I love playing in front of Mets fans. We have such an incredible fanbase and I know they’re going to make a lot of noise.”
Alonso will get to hear thousands of fans on his side once again once the Mets take the field on Thursday afternoon. The slugging first baseman has just begun his quest for a bounceback year, and should get some assistance from having actual people back in the seats at Citi Field this time around. If the boos in Philadelphia felt welcoming, the cheers in Queens should feel that much better.
“It’s gonna be a fun time,” Alonso said. “I can’t wait as we kind of progress here to get more and more fans back. I feel like in the game of baseball…the game needs fans back in the stands. It’s going to be a fun year. It’s going to be a fun 2021.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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