Good morning, Mets fans! If I were there, I would cheer the Polar Bear.

Standing ovations greeted Mike Piazza and Darryl Strawberry when the sluggers returned to Queens as visitors. Piazza the Padre went 1-for-4 with a single on Aug. 8, 2006. (The next night he homered twice off of Pedro Martinez.) Darryl the Dodger homered off of Frank Viola on May 7, 1991.

Carlos Beltran earned mostly cheers and a few boos on June 1, 2012, when he came back with St. Louis. Carlos the Cardinal went 0-for-4, but hit a line drive over the third-base bag in the sixth inning that was, um, charitably, ruled foul. And then Johan Santana completed the first no-hitter in franchise history.

Expect a warm welcome for Pete Alonso when he returns to Citi Field Monday for the first time since he signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Orioles. The 31-year-old slugger is having a strong season in Baltimore after a slow start, slashing .269/.363/.499 with 35 home runs and an American League-leading 100 RBIs. He is one long ball shy of career homer No. 300.

Alonso, who played in 162 games in each of the last two seasons, has played in all 150 Orioles games.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Jonah Tong (2-1, 4.80 ERA) will go against RHP Brandon Young (9-4, 3.71 ERA) as the Mets start the last homestand of the season at 7:10 p.m. ET. After a three-game set with the O’s, the Phillies come in for four. The game on Sunday will be the final broadcast for radio announcer Howie Rose.

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Christian Scott (4-5) was good (two runs on three hits over six innings, seven strikeouts), but Cam Schlittler (14-6) was better and the Yankees beat the Mets 2-0 in the Subway Series finale at Yankee Stadium. The Mets (69-80) were held to three hits as they were blanked for the 14th time. The New York teams split six games this year. Johnluke Chaparro has more in a recap here.

In an interview with Will Sammon of The Athletic, Bo Bichette said he will wait to decide whether to opt out of his contract until after the World Series. Bichette will earn $42 million for 2027 if he opts in and receive a $5 million buyout if he opts out. He also holds a 2028 player option for $42 million. He has until five days after the World Series ends to decide. Sammon believes, given many factors, “it’s easier to see Bichette staying put.”

First baseman/third baseman Billy Amick hit his eighth Triple-A homer and 38th overall, but Syracuse lost 6-5 to St. Paul and is 2 1/2 games back of a playoff spot with six games left. Top prospect Jefferson Rojas was promoted from Double-A Binghamton to help with the stretch run, per Sammon.

Binghamton’s season finale was rained out and won’t be made up. The team thanked the fans for the season on X.

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Justin Verlander is making progress toward making one last appearance for the Tigers before the end of the final season of his 21-year career. Verlander, who is the oldest player in the sport at 43, announced he planned to retire in July. Hip and hamstring injuries have kept him out all season after he made one start on March 30. The Tigers plan a celebration of his career on the season’s final weekend and hope he will pitch in one of those games.

Rafael Devers‘ season is over. The Giant slugger was placed on the 60-day injured list with a core muscle injury that manager Tony Vitello said he was dealing with all year, according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Devers is expected to have surgery Tuesday.

The Diamondbacks designated outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for assignment and recalled infielder Jose Fernandez to take his spot. Gurriel was an important part of the 2023 Arizona team that won the pennant, but suffered a torn ACL last season and was inconsistent upon his return.

Royals LHP Matt Strahm underwent successful right knee surgery and is expected to be ready for next season, sources told Robert Murray of FanSided.

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Zac Thornton is a man of his word. During a seventh-inning mound visit, he said he’d get Anthony Volpe to ground into a double play. Then he did. John Stocum has more on Thornton’s win vs. the Yankees.

Gabe Davis, a college teammate of Carson Benge and Nolan McLean, pitched well for Binghamton. That and more in a recap of Saturday’s minor-league action.

On This Date in Mets History

2020: Owner Fred Wilpon and his partners agree to sell the team to Steve Cohen for $2.4 billion, the highest price ever for a North American pro sports team.

2015: David Wright‘s go-ahead double in the seventh lifts the Mets to a 4-3 win over the Marlins. Hansel Robles earns the win in relief after Logan Verrett throws five innings of one-run ball. Jeurys Familia picks up his 41st save.

1998: Brian McRae ties it at 4 in the ninth with a two-run homer off of Billy Wagner in the Astrodome and hits a tiebreaking two-run double in the 13th off of ex-Met Doug Henry in a 7-4 win. Piazza goes for 4-for-5 and hits his 31st homer. John Franco earns his 37th save.

1963: Cleon Jones makes his major-league debut in center field as a defensive replacement in a 4-0 loss to the Houston Colt .45s that drops the cellar-dwelling Mets to 49-100 in front of 5,544 at the Polo Grounds. Jones would play 12 years and exactly 1,200 more games with the Mets before finishing his career with 12 games with the White Sox.

On This Date in 1986 Mets

The second-place Phillies complete a three-game sweep with a 6-0 win at Veterans Stadium, denying the Mets from clinching their first division title since 1973. Kevin Gross tosses a shutout, strikes out nine and hits a two-run triple off of Sid Fernandez for the only three-bagger of his 13-year career. September call-up Kevin Elster goes 2-for-4 with the first double of his career. The Mets are 93-49.

Born on This Date: Chad Bradford (1974), Mike Draper (1966), Harry Parker (1947), Dave Hillman (1927).