Heading into Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, I didn’t really know what type of atmosphere to expect. 

Would the crowd cheer Pete Alonso every time he was up? Would there be some boos mixed in when he left the field? What would the extent of the “Fire Stearns” chants look like? Would each game be sold out? 

I had the luxury of going to the first two games of this series, and one word I’d use to describe the vibes is different. 

Here are my thoughts about the overall experience, atmosphere, and the crowd from both games that I attended. 

Monday 

Monday’s game had a playoff-like atmosphere, as it was packed when I got to the ballpark at 6:30. 

Instantly, there were a bunch of Pete Alonso signs, jerseys, shirts, hats, posters, and anything else that resembled the Polar Bear. 

The moment Alonso began stretching and running laps on the field, the crowd began clapping and chanting his name for several minutes. 

The team did a great job with his tribute video, as it documented all of his big moments in Queens, including breaking the rookie home run record in a season, his three-run homer off Devin Williams in the 2024 Wild Card, and breaking the club’s all-time home run record in 2025.

Similarly to the video reaction, the crowd gave Alonso a raucous ovation in his first at-bat, in which he hit a fly ball to right field. 

In the third inning, he just missed hitting his 300th career home run, which elicited a massive pop from the crowd before fans realized the ball was tailing foul. 

He ended up drawing a walk to the dissatisfaction of the fans, as a chorus of boos surprisingly emerged toward Mets pitcher Jonah Tong. 

In his next two at-bats, Alonso grounded out to short and struck out on a nasty slider from Dedniel Nunez to end his day. 

Also a surprising factor was the number of fans who left the game after Alonso’s eighth-inning at-bat, which drew massive criticism online. 

Fans have to remember that this team’s playoff hopes have been nearly dead since the beginning of June, which gave most people little reason to come to the game. 

However, rooting against the team that you root for is something that I disagree with, whether you dislike a member of the front office or not. 

Tuesday 

Tuesday’s game was definitely less of a sellout, but it still drew a pretty substantial crowd for a team officially eliminated from the postseason. 

Similarly to Monday, the fans gave Alonso a very warm ovation every time he came up to bat. 

It was a quiet start for him, as he grounded out twice, hit a fly ball to the right-field warning track, and struck out looking on three Austin Warren sinkers. 

He managed to get up in the ninth inning, worked a 2-0 count off Kodai Senga, and demolished a middle-down forkball off the face of the second deck in left-center field to tie the game. 

Alonso threw his bat in excitement, did his signature kiss celebration, and trotted around the bases, courtesy of a standing ovation from most of the fans at the game. 

The Polar Bear came back out for a curtain call after celebrating through the Orioles’ dugout, which might have been the first time an opposing player took a curtain call since Mike Piazza’s 2006 return to Shea Stadium. 

In the 10th inning, he made a great diving play to rob Jared Young of an RBI single before striking out in his final at-bat in the 11th inning. 

Overall Thoughts

Overall, the reaction from the fans drew the ire and confusion of several players, such as Sean Manaea and Francisco Lindor. 

Manaea was very blunt about the situation and revealed that the reaction to Alonso’s home run was crazy, while Lindor defended Tong and wished that the fans supported him more. 

In my opinion, I wasn’t too surprised about how the fans reacted. 

This is a team that significantly underperformed in 2026, as several players (Bichette, Manaea, Polanco, Robert, Williams) did not play up to their standards. 

On the other hand, injuries also played a massive role in the team’s struggles, as a healthy Juan Soto, Jorge Polanco, and Francisco Lindor could have kept the team afloat in May and June. 

For the fans who are angry and embarrassed by the ballpark reaction, it makes sense. 

Rooting against the Mets because you disagree with David Stearns’ decision to move on from Alonso in the offseason is crazy. 

However, it really felt like the last two nights’ reactions were more directed at David Stearns and Steve Cohen than Andy Green and the players. 

David Stearns’ decision to not extend Pete Alonso will follow him for the rest of his New York Mets tenure.