New York Mets‘ fans sure hope that Pete Alonso’s nose doesn’t lie. The hulking first baseman, reigning National League home run champion and Rookie of the Year recently said on his Instagram account that he can almost smell the start of the season.
Major League Baseball decided to stop its operations in mid-March due to concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic that has affected lives in some many ways and in several countries around the world.
The virus has killed thousands of Americans, so health authorities, MLB and the players association are thinking things very carefully before making a decision on when to return. The New York Mets should have played their 39th game of the season on Saturday, an afternoon battle against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Instead, each player is at home, working out individually and limited to social distancing rules. Mets manager Luis Rojas constantly checks on players and staff via his phone and the Internet.
The Mets’ ambassador
Alonso is the Mets’ heart and soul, a status that he earned both on and off the field. He hit 53 dingers on his debut season, and he got involved in the community, as well, in a positive way. Newyorkers love him, and he loves New York.
“I can almost sniff the season,” Alonso wrote. “It’s getting so close.” A June spring training with a start of the regular season in July is gaining traction these days around MLB headquarters. However, nothing is set in stone as of now. The pandemic will dictate whether it’s possible for baseball to come back at some point in the summer or not.
Of course, the Mets’ slugger is eager to return as soon as possible. He even endorsed the possibility of returning sooner with no fans in the stands, saying “whatever cards we’re dealt, we gotta play them.”
Alonso misses the Mets and baseball so much that he even confessed he has seen highlights of the 2019 season several times during the break. Let’s just hope we can have sports back soon and that the environment is safe.