NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: METS VS DODGERS

October 18, 2024

Pete Alonso

Citi Field

New York Mets

Postgame 5 Press Conference

Mets - 12, Dodgers - 6

Q. Mendy was saying how one of the keys to tonight was how the whole team was not chasing a lot. Was that any sort of special message to the team? Or do you talk amongst yourselves in the fact, limit your chase, get better looks at the pitch?

PETE ALONSO: Honestly, I think that not chasing is just a product of executing and approach. I thought we did just an unbelievable job executing all night. We laid off the tough ones and put good swings on the pitches in the zone.

I think it's just an incredible effort from the whole group. I mean, it was just unbelievable execution. That's what it boils down to.

Q. Did anyone address the team with words of encouragement or a message before this game, with everything on the line?

PETE ALONSO: Honestly, we were all on the same page collectively. Like after yesterday's game, we just had a collective conversation where it was like, hey, this is this is it. This is who we are. This is the situation we're in and let's keep continuing to lay it all out there.

Today I thought, I mean, just right off the jump, what really set the tone for today's game was Petey. He second and third and no outs, and him bearing down right there and just making unbelievable pitches, that got the crowd into it, and that really set the tone for the entire game.

We were just all on the same page working together.

Q. You just mentioned how Peterson got out of the first inning. But when you guys came up in the bottom of the first, how important was it to get that lead and get on the scoreboard first because it completely energized the place even more than the top of the inning?

PETE ALONSO: Being able to get out to a lead is important. But honestly I thought the most impressive part was every time they scored, we had an answer for it. And I thought that just our pitchers threw the ball really well, especially Petey to start out. Reed did a good job bridging it to Ryan.

Ryan was just lights out and Sugar was electric at the end. Everyone who threw the ball tonight they did their job.

But the offense, I mean, man, like every time that they scored, the most important thing was the team effort continuing to add on whether it's manufacturing a run or someone having a big hit. I mean, it was just unbelievable at-bats up and down the lineup.

Q. What were you looking for in that at-bat that you did take Flaherty out? That pitch was maybe a little over a foot from the dirt there?

PETE ALONSO: Honestly, I was just looking for something over the middle of the plate. I mean, I didn't really realize how low the pitch was. I got caught a little out front.

But location-wise, it was low, but it was still over the middle of the plate. And I'm just really happy I could come through right there for the fellas.

I'm just so happy because this group is so special. And I'm happy that we get to live to fight another day and play another game of baseball together.

Q. What is the trick to hit a ball that low? It's almost like a golf swing, it looked like.

PETE ALONSO: Over a million swings lifetime and just trying to over, I don't know. It's just the course of -- honestly, it's inexplainable. It's the magic of the postseason. And I'm just happy I squared it up.

Q. And having the Temptations out there, it looked like you and Francisco, everyone was pretty loose. Did that sort of set a mood?

PETE ALONSO: Honestly, like, this is fun. Being in playoffs, this is fun baseball. This is what every person in baseball works for in the offseason when you're lifting weights, conditioning, Spring Training and earning your right to be here in the regular season.

These moments like this, this is what we all live for and play for. So this is such a blast. And I think all of us -- we're just relishing in the moment and we're looking to capitalize on opportunities.

Q. Obviously it's big moments, you're not thinking about whether this could be your last game here as a Met. But what did you think about the fan reaction you got chanting your name there at the end?

PETE ALONSO: I mean, it's so special. It's like story book-type stuff. When you grow up as a kid, you dream about that type of stuff.

In the moment, it's so special but it's difficult to take a step back and enjoy because it's, like, okay, great, we've got a job to do. We've got to finish this game out. We've got to keep competing here.

You can't necessarily -- because all of us, at the end of the day, there's little kids of us inside, and that joy that you see all of us playing with right now, that's really special. But you can't be a fan -- all of us are fans of the game, we love the game, we watched the game when we were growing up. But you can't get wrapped up in that.

It's really special but we just have to keep continue staying locked in. It's storybook-type stuff and I'm just honored and blessed.

Q. Just for you personally, what does it feel like knowing that you're guaranteed to be wearing this uniform at least another two days and playing again?

PETE ALONSO: Yeah, it's really special and I'm just happy to do it with -- this group is -- I can't say it enough, this group is so special. We've faced adversity. We've bounced back time and time again over the course of the year.

Even if you look at even the Wild Card, this group has been so resilient. I don't know.

A lot of the things are, you look at the path of everything, it's completely unexplainable, but we're all just happy to have another opportunity to fight another day.

And we'll be ready. We love opportunities. This is what we want to continue to play for. Today was all about figure it out, get to Game 6. And we have that opportunity and it's going to be the same mentality. Figure it out. Get to 7.

That's what it is. Survive the day. And we did. And we're really, really excited for the opportunity coming up.

Q. Does it feel appropriate to kind of extend the season in a game, in a series where nothing's been easy for you guys in a season, where nothing has been easy for you guys?

PETE ALONSO: Honestly, it's just such a special ride. And we want to keep playing hard. We want to keep playing together as a unit. And that's one of the huge reasons why we're at where we're at. And we want to keep continuing the fight. We want to keep continuing to stick together and just embrace the opportunity and embrace every single day.

Tomorrow, all of us are going to be obviously really appreciative and thankful, but all of us are going to be getting our minds right and bodies right, ready to go for Game 6.

Again, that's what this is all about. It's when presented an opportunity, how do you respond and how do you capitalize? And how we've responded and answered the bell every single step of the way this year, it's been tremendous. And I have no doubt for everybody in the room.

Q. Just doubling back on this, did it in fact dawn on you that going into this game it could be your last game as a Met at Citi Field?

PETE ALONSO: No. I was just pretty much focused on competing and trying to win and get this thing to Game 6 and contribute however I could to help the team win. That's pretty much it.

That's all what this postseason is about; it's about winning. It's about surviving and living to see another day until there's no more baseball left.

Q. Even though you've been selfless about it, hitting the home run in the first inning really got you guys off to a great start.

PETE ALONSO: Yeah. The swing felt really good, but, again, the entire day, just how Petey held it together and was executing in a big spot. He showed so much guts and so much heart. Like, having guys on second and third with no outs and having the meat of their lineup, that's a huge spot. And to keep the game at zeros, that was massive.

Francisco had -- obviously you asked about the home run -- but there's so many things before that, like Nimms drawing a walk, Francisco smoking a ball to start us off there.

I'm just happy to come through in that spot, but this is a complete, complete team effort.

And how we added on and responded when they scored, I mean, it was tremendous. And Ryan and Shoog held it down. A tremendous team win.

Q. You have had several outstanding moments during this postseason. What's your favorite one?

PETE ALONSO: I don't know. I mean, just champagne showering every single time that we have because it's a momentous celebration for the group and for the team.

That's what we want. We just want to keep this thing alive, keep this thing going. It's a really special team and just being able to celebrate with everybody, it's just tremendous, because it's really an unbelievable group.

Q. Brandon Mills said last night he actually liked the way you guys were hitting the ball at that point and it was just a matter of time before you broke out. Did you feel that way going in as well?

PETE ALONSO: Yeah, we've had really good swings, really good approach. If you just look at the box score, that doesn't tell the whole story. I mean, as an offense, Walker had his -- Buehler had his A stuff the day he pitched, but we got him out before the fifth inning. He didn't throw a single pitch in the fifth. Yamamoto came out of the game early, I think, in the third or before the fourth.

Preventing their starters from going deep in games and getting to their bullpen, that's huge, especially over this marathon-type of a series. And as an offense that doesn't happen if you don't have quality at-bats.

And tonight, obviously you look at the runs scored and the box score, it's like, wow, they must have had better at-bats.

It's like, no, we've been having really good at-bats and today things fell for us, things went over the wall for us and we're going to keep continue having that gritty mentality in the box, and we operate as a unit, offensively, defensively and pitching. We're going to continue doing that. We're going to keep being the gritty team we are.

Q. Nobody struck out in the entire game.

PETE ALONSO: I think, yeah, Jeff Passan told me that. It was like, yeah, you're right, it's unbelievable. Again, it's just a phenomenal execution of approach by the whole group.