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00:03Welcome back everybody to another edition of Straight Outta Flushing. We are coming to you from
00:08Flushing at Citi Field where the Mets fell to the Orioles 2-1. Dexter Henry, Tyler Ward aka
00:15Wardy here with you. And Wardy, this was a very, very special night for Mets fans or for some Mets
00:22fans a little bit sad because it was the return of Pete Alonzo here at Citi Field. First of all,
00:28how are you doing before we get all into it? Oh Dex, I'm always doing great. I'm glad we got
00:32to be here
00:33and be at Citi Field. Me too. I mean it's a lot overdue. This is something that we were longing
00:36to do a lot throughout the year. Between obviously you rehabbing to start this season and the Mets
00:41you know feeling like that they were rehabbing the entire year with the way that they were playing.
00:45That's why we haven't done it too often but hoping to do it a lot more next season and
00:48as you said this was a big day for us Mets fans seeing Pete Alonzo return. You know first thing
00:53I have to say about this Dex and then I have to ask you your immediate reaction is I've never
00:57been
00:57to a baseball game nor have I have I ever witnessed a baseball game where universally the entire crowd
01:03which was north of a sold out crowd on a Monday night against the Orals. Two teams that are not
01:08making postseason play. The Mets are officially eliminated today at the time I was talking now.
01:13Every single fan was rooting to be homered on. That was the complete reaction for Mets fans
01:19with Pete Alonzo. They wanted it so bad. It was weird a little bit but I kind of want before
01:25we get to
01:25the game the beginning of the game and you and I were here and we're down on the field and
01:30walking
01:30around and seeing people talking to folks. There were so many fans just right off to where we are
01:35now. Oh yeah for sure. There were so many fans lined up to see Pete Alonzo to share their love
01:41just yelling Pete we love you we miss you. I saw it I came in on the 7 train today
01:47and fans in
01:49Team Alonzo shirts. You just saw the love here and it was a really nice crowd. You know I was
01:54talking
01:55to our videographer Vanez about it before we saw all the people here coming and you just really felt
01:59the love but then the reception you and I saw the tribute video that the Mets. What did you think
02:05of
02:05the tribute video? I know we talked about it off camera but what did you think of the tribute video
02:09that the Mets showed for Pete Alonzo today? You know I thought it was great. You know I think it
02:13was
02:13exactly what the doctor ordered for someone like Pete. You know I was expecting it to happen early. We were
02:17talking right as it started. I'm like all right Dex we gotta go watch it. See you're like all right
02:21it's already beginning. So listen the Mets want to make sure that they are praying proper props to
02:25obviously Pete Alonzo and all that he did for this organization and I think not only was the video
02:30great but the fan reception is what really took the cake. I mean you could really tell that Pete was
02:34savoring it. I commend him. It didn't seem like he got too emotional today. I was curious to see if
02:38he
02:39was going to and like I said I think that's a bit of because there's mixed emotions returning the city
02:43field for Alonzo and I'm sure while there's emotions of gratitude for what the Mets
02:47have done for him and this fan base there's also probably a level of him that has a feeling of
02:52you
02:52know what this is something that maybe shouldn't have happened the way that it did. You know
02:56obviously Pete can speak on that greater than I can as a fan but that's just the first thought
03:00process I had seen his reaction from the fan reception. Yeah you saw the reaction from the fans
03:04around you know before the game standing around and then the tribute video and then his first at
03:08bat and getting that standing ovation and seeing how the fans embrace him. You even saw an interaction
03:13with him and Steve Cohen while batting practice was going on here. Very quick embrace is what I will
03:20say. It's very quick. Probably some vibes from Pete Alonzo of why am I not still here. I think that
03:25still exists in you too. But I would like to get into seeing this tonight. I think we probably didn't
03:31get
03:31to touch on this a lot during offseason. It makes you think about Pete Alonzo's impact here in New
03:36York. For sure. You saw tonight what he means to this fan base. You can see it just the way
03:43people
03:43were lined up like I said the way they cheered for him. You know there's a good amount of the
03:47fan base
03:48that didn't want him to leave but he's no longer here. When you reflect on him he's the all-time
03:52leader
03:53in home runs for this franchise. What do you think his time here in Flushing? I think his time
03:59here in Flushing meant something that I think every Mets fan should long to see from a player
04:03and that's you know in a lot of ways a homegrown talent that really embraced what it meant to be
04:07a New York Met. You know I think of from my personal experience as a fan who sticks out like
04:12you know
04:12a positive sore thumb if that makes sense where you stick out for the right reasons and that's David
04:17Wright. You know a prime example of someone who you know embodied everything that meant to be New
04:21York Met both on and off the field. Alonzo was that as well and it's a shame to obviously see
04:25his
04:26tenure come to the you know abrupt end that it did for the guy who in the final year as
04:31a New York Met
04:31became the home running cane of this organization. Dexter I was in attendance in the stands in 2019
04:36when he hit his first home run here at City Field. I didn't know that. I didn't know you were
04:39here for the first time.
04:39Yeah I was and it was a great game against the Nationals. Big win for the Mets there and you
04:43fast forward
04:44all these years later I can't believe how much time has flown by since then and Alonzo again still making
04:48himself known as one of the best home run hitters all major league baseball. I think Steve Cohen and David
04:52Strins will probably be the first to tell you that yeah they wouldn't mind having that oomph back in
04:56the lab this season and potentially moving forward but again we can't go back all we can do is move
05:01forward. Are you saying that letting Alonzo go was a mistake? Is that what you're saying? I don't know
05:06Dexter is that what I'm saying? No I'm not I'm just it's a question worth asking here. Oh for sure.
05:11With
05:11everything going on with around tonight with everything going around tonight and with the way he's performed
05:17this year and the production the Mets have got at first base this year which would leave a lot to
05:21be
05:21desired. There's going to be a question among some in the fan base and someone asked me that
05:25tonight myself do I think this is a mistake? I still think you've got to give it some time to
05:30tell
05:30in the short term the answer is yes. There's no doubt in the short term the answer is yes. In
05:35the long
05:35term we'll see how decisions play out for the Mets at first base. Your boy Polanco. Oh my god.
05:43I gotta call your boy. You gotta you gotta stop. He is not he is not performed well so the
05:49point I'm
05:49making is when someone hasn't performed well. Right. This is what is going to happen and people
05:52are going to question the mistake. And I think there's rightful reason to question that mistake.
05:56You know like again when the Alonzo news first happened I like many fans was trying to buy into
06:02the whole this is part of the David Stern's thought process. This is the first year where he really has
06:07his hands all over the club in ways that he hasn't in previous years. Right. Let's let him run with
06:11this a little bit see what he's going to build this club as and unfortunately as we all saw in
06:15real
06:15time he favored risk over reward too much when looking at the roster building. First base for
06:21Jorge Polanco who hasn't played first base his entire career at the professional level there for
06:25the most part but now we're going to look at him as a viable option or Luis Robert as someone
06:29that
06:29can command consistent reps in the outfield who we were both very much in favor of but it doesn't
06:34change in fact he was our guy but doesn't change the fact that there was an
06:37always that massive risk along with him. Yep. For everything that happened with Alonzo
06:41with his defensive shortcomings where I was thinking oh the Mets could upgrade defensively
06:46at first base and maybe add decent power there and add more elsewhere. The reality that we saw
06:50unfortunately is that not only did the Mets not upgrade defensively at first but they also didn't
06:54properly allocate to add more power in this lineup outside of the breakouts of guys like Carson
06:59Bench this season. So it's just been from what it's like it feels like a death by a thousand
07:03paper cuts. It's one thing after another after another after another that led the
07:07Mets to where they are now. What did you make of what Alonzo did at the plate today? Because
07:11we talked yesterday about this and you said I think he'll hit two home runs in the series.
07:15The fans here wanted to see that. It's weird. The Mets fans wanted to see an Alonzo blast.
07:19Yes they were rooting for a home run from the opposition here. Alonzo 0-3 with a walk and
07:26a strikeout. What did you make of his performance here in Citi Field? Do you think he maybe was a
07:30little bit too jumpy with the energy around here in the building and do you think he'll
07:34probably settle down in the next couple games of the series? Yeah I would anticipate him to settle
07:38down regardless this was an emotional day and if he just gave a nice stone cold face when he felt
07:42everything on the inside or not you know it doesn't change the fact that I felt like that this was
07:46a
07:46game where he was either going to go scorched earth or do nothing and he did nothing. So we'll see
07:50what happens in game two and game three of the series. Mets fans are going to continue to root for
07:54him
07:54every single game of this series more than any other player that's playing which is crazy when you
07:58consider the fact that he's not on the New York Mets and the Mets have a whole team here that's
08:02playing right? Jonah Ton's pitching against Pete Alonzo and you have fans going up against Ton
08:06like he's the enemy today. It's crazy but that's the kind of impact that Pete Alonzo had on this
08:11fan base clearly and not only with losing him not properly replacing him but adding a saw in the
08:17wound that the Mets have been such unfortunately a below average baseball club for the past calendar year
08:22that has really not helped it either you know? No it hasn't helped it either and I think that's part
08:26of
08:26why you saw fans here. Just looking to have some more good vibes. There's been some good vibes
08:30around this team following the All-Star break following the trade deadline. This feels like
08:34a week where you get some good vibes with the return of Pete Alonzo and then there's another guy we'll
08:37get to a little bit later who'll be coming back to Citi Field at the end of this week. I
08:41want to talk
08:41to you about a couple Mets players before we go. We got to talk about AJ Ewing. Hits a home
08:47run today
08:47drives in the only run for the Mets. They sold a home run in the fourth inning. You did see
08:53him continue to sort of bounce back after a struggling August. Are you liking what you're
08:57seeing from him here in September? Oh absolutely. I mean the fact shout out AJ as well. I had a
09:02chance
09:02to meet him for the first time this weekend over the past two days from the Subway Series today.
09:06A very nice guy and listen I just gave him his props. You know there's a reason why he
09:10absolutely flown through the minors last year across three different levels to then get to the
09:14major leagues this year not long after the start of the 2026 season. I mean talking about a
09:19multi-talented player. We saw AJ have a rare defensive hiccup in the outfield today but he
09:24still made up for it earlier obviously with that nice home run that tied it initially 1-1. He's
09:28been finding that power swing. He has two home runs over the past you know weekend's worth of games or
09:32so which has been great for him who obviously AJ has had ups and downs with the bat this year
09:36in
09:37his rookie year but I think for a rookie season for a talent of him the sky really feels like
09:41it's
09:41low in it. Yeah it really does. Another young player we got to talk about is Jonathan who got to
09:45start
09:45here today. Six innings pitch six strikeouts only gave up four hits and a run. He is looking like
09:52a much different pitcher. I know it's only been a couple of starts but I like what I'm seeing out
09:55of him too. Oh absolutely. I mean listen give major credit where credit's due. Jonathan in a day where
09:59you basically had your own fans against you. Yeah. And Pete Alonso's return and he handles it in stride
10:04without much of a problem at all. Jonah goes six strong innings doesn't allow a single earned run
10:08because we saw the defensive hiccup earlier in this one between Beatty at first and in the past fall
10:12and then that run ultimately scoring. But nonetheless though Jonah to mow down the batters
10:17the way they did six strikeouts wasn't walking everyone and their mother and what I love so much
10:21about Jonah today Dex is that while it wasn't too much he was starting to sprinkle that curveball in
10:25a bit more. Finally gain more swing and miss gain that comfortability there with the curve.
10:29Obviously heavy fastball used to sitting right around 57 percent of the time today sitting mid
10:32to high 90s on the gun. Then of course you have the cutter there that was a third pitch a
10:36changeup.
10:37He worked well today too. He attacked both the righty and lefty batters with authority today
10:40and that's something that excites me because when you look at the Mets future rotation 2027
10:44we continue to figure out who makes sense for the club and who doesn't. Well this is a great bid
10:49for Jonah Tom late in the season to make his argument and say hey you guys shouldn't write
10:53me off for that rotation next year. Yeah and what I'm seeing from that is I like the confidence.
10:56The confidence looks like it's starting to go up. That's only going to come folks with more starts
11:00from him. So hopefully you can see this continued improvement from Jonah Tom mixing it into different
11:04pitches and his confidence goes up so he could possibly be part of the rotation next season.
11:09Now the reason I said this is an interesting week Pete Alonso making his return here to
11:14Citi Field at the beginning of the week. End of the week we see Carlos Beltran is going to get
11:17his number retired here at Citi Field. So a very interesting week of emotions for the Mets fans
11:23here in Citi Field. The Mets trying to get some good vibes after what has been a for you also
11:28you
11:28haven't got too mad. Tough season. Tough season. It's been it's been a tough season you know if there's
11:33anything that's been easier about it is that they allowed me to snap the emotions off rather early.
11:38I like that for you. I like it for you. I like that for you. I like even that. I
11:41don't like it for me though Dex. I'd rather be a mess. You told me you want to live and
11:44die. I want to be a mess. I want to be in the trenches with everyone every single game. So
11:50hopefully we get that in 2027. Hopefully we get that in 2027. There's baseball. We hope for that. That's going
11:55to do it for this edition of Straight Outta Flushing. The first one we got to do this year with
11:59myself and Wardy from here at Citi Field. That is the great Tyler Ward. I'm Dexter Henry. We'll catch you
12:04next time on another edition of Straight Outta Flushing.
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