Pete Alonso paid a visit to Ground Zero on Saturday, the 20th anniversary of 9/11, to pay his respects before his Mets pay their own at Citi Field before hosting the Yankees on Saturday night.
Alonso, who was just six years old at the time of the attacks, was able to meet with many who lost loved ones that day, including Paul Veneto, a flight attendant who lost several friends and colleagues on 9/11, and honored their memory by pushing an airline beverage cart from Logan Airport in Boston to Ground Zero.
"He was a flight attendant that was supposed to be on one of the flights," Alonso said. "He knew a lot of people on those fights that passed away. He pushed a beverage cart from Logan International to Ground Zero and I met him there today. Getting to talk to him was really special."
The experience as a whole was an overwhelming one for Alonso, who will be wearing a cap to honor first responders along with the rest of the Mets and Yankees.
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"Going to Ground Zero today was really an emotional roller coaster for me," Alonso said. "Seeing everything and people there paying their respects to loved ones, fallen comrades, just a really sobering sight. For me, just to be able to show my respects to everybody involved that day…every moment after with the cleanup and rescue teams, it was truly remarkably."
Alonso has been outspoken about his emotions surrounding 9/11 and his respect for the first responders that were on duty that day, something that hasn't been lost on previous Mets, who were there at the time of the attacks.
"I think it shows the character these guys have," Mike Piazza said. "It shows the way he was raised and the values he has as a human being and as a man…I think it's great, because I think it's easy to get caught up in the fame and fortune and get disconnected from reality."
After visiting Ground Zero, Alonso is now preparing to take the field 20 years after Piazza to again try and provide a healthy distraction or a sense of normalcy for New Yorkers who are struggling with an emotional anniversary of a tragic day.
"It's gonna be very emotional, but for me, the biggest thing I can express is the gratitude and what an honor it is to play," Alonso said. "Yes, we have a baseball game that we're playing today, but the fact that the game of baseball can bring an entire city together, a divided city where you have the Yankees and Mets, that's a pretty heated rivalry. For people to come together and unite over the game of baseball and remember and really show respect for the day, I think that's truly special."
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