Pete Alonso Returns to Citi Field One Home Run Shy of 300 for His Career

Pete Alonso stepped into the visitor’s dugout at Citi Field on Monday for the first time in his career, and he did it sitting on the doorstep of history. The former Mets slugger, now with the Baltimore Orioles, enters the three-game series needing just one home run to reach the 300 mark for his career — and there may be no more fitting stage than the ballpark where he built his legacy.

Alonso spent seven seasons in Queens after the Mets drafted him in the second round in 2016, and he left as the franchise’s all-time home run king with 264 blasts. His exit wasn’t entirely smooth: he turned down a seven-year, $158 million extension during the 2023 season and later declined his qualifying offer when he hit free agency. He eventually returned to New York on a two-year deal with an opt-out, only to walk away again last winter and sign a five-year, $155 million contract with Baltimore. Monday marked his first look at the ballpark since officially becoming the enemy.

One Swing From 300

Alonso enters the series at 299 career home runs after connecting for his 35th of the season on Saturday. A homer in this series would make him the 171st player in major league history to reach the 300-homer milestone — a number that would arrive in dramatic fashion given the venue. He also picked up his 100th RBI of the season on Sunday, marking the fourth time in the last five years he’s cleared that threshold, tying him for the American League lead in that category this season. His recent surge has already made him a popular batter prop target for bettors this month.

The Polar Bear has been at his most dangerous down the stretch. Over his last 25 games he’s hitting .269 with eight homers and 19 RBI as Baltimore fights to stay alive in the wild-card picture, a surge that follows a monster August in which he clubbed nine home runs with a 1.026 OPS to help drag the Orioles back into playoff contention. For the season, Alonso is slashing .269 with 35 homers, 100 RBIs and an .861 OPS in 150 games — numbers that look almost identical to the ones that made him a five-time All-Star in New York.

A Complicated Homecoming

Speaking to reporters before Monday’s opener, Alonso struck a diplomatic tone about the organization that drafted and developed him. He praised both clubs and acknowledged the deep ties he still has on the other side of the field, saying he “spent a lot of time here, lived a lot of life” during his run with the Mets. The Mets, for their part, are hoping their fanbase gives their former franchise cornerstone an electric ovation despite the awkward business side of the split.

For bettors watching the series, Alonso’s power surge and the Orioles’ playoff push make every at-bat in this set worth monitoring, and those tracking live odds and prop markets around the milestone chase can check the DraftKings Promo Code page for current offers tied to MLB action. The Mets, meanwhile, are playing out the string of a disappointing season, but a soft finish hasn’t dampened the intrigue around watching their former face of the franchise chase a signature career number in the building where he made his name.

Whether Alonso gets it done this week or has to wait for a future series, the symbolism of the chase happening at Citi Field is hard to ignore. Baltimore’s front office knew exactly what it was buying when it committed $155 million to a player who has now posted at least 30 home runs in seven of his eight big-league seasons — a run matched by only a handful of active players, including Manny Machado, Giancarlo Stanton and Mike Trout. Fans hoping to see the milestone in person, or simply looking for the best way to follow the odds around it, can find updated lines and matchup coverage through resources like the FanDuel Promo Code page as the series unfolds.

What Comes Next

Baltimore’s postseason hopes remain tightly linked to production from Alonso and the rest of the lineup as September winds down, and a milestone home run against his old team would be the kind of moment that transcends the standings. The Mets, already eliminated from meaningful contention, at least get the consolation of hosting a piece of their own history — even if it now wears an orange and black jersey instead of blue and orange.

Regardless of when No. 300 arrives, Alonso’s return underscores how quickly fortunes can shift in a sport where legacies are built city by city. Seven years of records in Queens, a contentious free-agent exit, and now a milestone chase in front of the fans who watched him become a star — few storylines in this year’s stretch run carry as much built-in drama as Pete Alonso’s homecoming series at Citi Field.