Despite the coronavirus pandemic taking over our lives and even baseball, MLB is playing the 2020 season while navigating through a myriad of difficulties. One of them is the lack of fans (in our case, New York Mets fans,) which frankly, takes something away from the whole show. I’m sure everybody misses the vibrant crowds and cheers after a home run, a strike out, or an exciting play.
However, the absence of fans in the stands has allowed us who watch from TV to hear the primary actors of the show: the players, managers and coaches. Their instructions, interactions and emotions have become clearer and more evident with the lack of noise, and he have heard lots of interesting things.
We know that New York Mets’ slugger Pete Alonso is famous for his thunderous bat, one that helped him earn Rookie of the Year honors in the National League last year and lead MLB in homers with 53, a new record for rookies. But during the offseason and the pandemic, we have also come to learn that he has a strong, outspoken personality.
As MLB.com notes, the Mets’ star could easily let his bat do the talking, but he has chosen to engage into very funny interactions and conversations himself. The interesting part is that the scenario of those interactions is the field, and fans will be able to hear it all through the first-of-its-kind MLB Originals video series: On First with Pete Alonso.
Going to a game with the Mets’ Polar Bear
MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan writes that the 25-year-old Mets’ first baseman “will be mic’d up for five episodes during the 2020 season, giving fans a chance to experience the game from the perspective of last year’s National League Rookie of the Year Award winner.”
It sure is fun to imagine the conversations that Alonso has with runners on first base from other teams, as well as his own teammates. The first episode launched Wednesday and is already available. It follows the Mets’ Polar Bear during the team’s Opening Series vs. the Atlanta Braves.
“Fans can listen to Alonso banter with opposing baserunners like fellow All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman, cheer on his teammates from the dugout, react to plays in real time and more.” The whole thing is very entertaining.