Mets star Pete Alonso said on Monday that he was thankful to be unscathed in a "brutal" car crash on Sunday in Tampa, Florida, while en route to Mets camp.
The scary incident unfolded when another driver blew through a red light and "T-boned" a vehicle carrying Alonso and his wife, the 27-year-old slugger said.
A visibly shaken Alonso detailed the harrowing episode with reporters in the clubhouse at the Mets' spring training facility in Port St. Lucie.
"To me, it's really special to be here -- this is a really special Spring Training -- because yesterday was a really close experience to death. My car flipped over probably about three times."
The 2019 NL Rookie of the Year said he was unharmed, and was able to "hit and take ground balls" on Monday.
"I'm really thankful to be alive, and thankful to be healthy.
"Just taking a day to do some personal work, one-on-one drills. Today I'm really blessed to be here -- not just alive, but healthy as well. Everyone in my family is OK."
Alonso's somber remarks were a reminder of the fragility of life amid heady times for the Mets and their fans, with expectations soaring after an offseason of high spending and wheeling and dealing.
On Sunday, the Mets acquired right-hander Chris Bassitt from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers.
But all of that seemed unimportant in light of Alonso's unfortunate news.
"You never know what can happen," Alonso said. "Anything can happen at any given moment, anything can get derailed at any single time. So, I was coming here to work -- come to Spring Training -- and the next thing I know I'm kicking my windshield in trying to get out of a flipped-over car."