Photo by Tim Healey of Newsday
It has been a point of argument over the years as to why baseball players are not allowed to wear first responders hats during the games played on September 11th. Fans do not understand it (myself included) and the players do not understand it either. It is a beautiful, easy tribute to the memory of all those lost on that horrific day and to honor all of the heroes who risked their own lives to save others.
Pete Alonso is one the players who did not understand this and wanted to do something. He reached out to MLB himself to ask if they could wear first responders hats during the game. His request was denied. But, he came up with another idea. Alonso took note of every players’ shoe size and the brand of cleats they wore. He then had special, patriotic cleats made for every single player on the team. He worked with his agent, and clubhouse leaders such as Jacob deGrom to get the entire team on board with wearing the cleats (which, I’m sure, did not take too much convincing on their end). The cleats were a gift from Alonso to the team, and yes, Alonso is only making the league-minimum this year.
Photo by Tim Healey of Newsday
As you can see from the above, the cleats are not just simply red, white, and blue. Alonso made sure they were a beautiful tribute. The cleats do have the American flag, but they also have the date of the attacks, the New York City skyline with the Twin Towers highlighted in blue, an image of first responders raising the American flag at Ground Zero, and NYPD/FDNY/EMT lettering around.
Alonso did not ask permission from MLB to wear the cleats. In fact, the entire Mets team agreed as a whole to not ask permission, as they did not want to get denied by MLB. They all wore the cleats for the game on September 11th, knowing that there is a chance they could be fined. But in their eyes, this is more than about money. The fine would be worth it. If MLB does fine the Mets for this, that would be a horrible look on their part. However, if they do end up punishing the Mets with a fine, I hope MLB then takes that money and donates it to a charity that helps those affected by September 11th. Alonso and the Mets were doing something good. There is no reason to be punished for it.
This is also a testament to Alonso’s character. He didn’t have to do this, especially knowing the risks. But he knew that it was the right thing to do. He knew that he should use his platform as a way to raise awareness, help others, and try to brighten their day just a little bit.
“It just comes from a place where I want to show support to not just the victims but the family members as well because no one really knows how deep those emotional scars can be,” Alonso said after the game on Wednesday. “I just want to show recognition to all the people who are heroes – just ordinary people that felt a sense of urgency and an admirable call of duty. This is for all those people who lost their lives and all of those people who did so much to help.”
Players were grateful that Alonso spearheaded this tribute. Juan Lagares took to Instagram after the game to post a picture of the cleats and the NYPD hat he was able to wear during batting practice. DeGrom helped make sure the entire team would wear the cleats. Todd Frazier said postgame how this act “says a lot” about Alonso. And Fraizer is right, it does.
