The wait is over — Pete Alonso is set to make his debut, and he’s doing it on Opening Day. He will be playing first base and batting second in the lineup.
“It’s a dream come true,” Alonso told reporters with a massive smile on his face Thursday. “It’s still unreal that I’m here.”
Towards the end of Spring Training, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Alonso would make the team despite some saying the Mets should hold him in Triple-A for some time to get an extra year of control.
“I got misty-eyed,” Alonso said of when he was told he made the team. “Everyone was like, ‘don’t cry, Pete!’ I was wearing sunglasses at the time, thankfully, but I was beyond excited. I can’t really explain it in words, it’s just the most incredible feeling in the world.”
Asked how he thought batting second against Max Scherzer sounds for his first assignment, Alonso replied, “Let’s do it!”
The 24-year-old absolutely mashed across the minor leagues last season, hitting .285/.395/.579 with 36 home runs, 31 doubles, and 119 RBIs in 132 games. While Dominic Smith also made the team, Mickey Callaway made it clear that Alonso would get the bulk of the playing time at first base.
Welcome to The Bigs, Pete!
