Three Long Islanders snag Pete Alonso's 300th home run ball at Citi Field

As Mike Shaw confirms that he and his two friends have been Mets fans for their entire lives, one of them interrupts.

“We’re on ESPN right now,” said Chris Makarius, panning out his Zoom camera so everyone can see. Sure enough, there they are – Shaw, Makarius, and Nick Maldarella, all from Smithtown, the last of whom secured the tickets that carved out their place in baseball history.

The trio, friends since elementary school, were at Citi Field Tuesday when Flushing’s prodigal son hit his 300th career home run in the most fitting place possible. The Orioles were down 3-2 in the ninth when Pete Alonso sat on Kodai Senga’s forkball and obliterated it – sailing it 404 feet to the stands in left field.

“It was automatically gone,” said Shaw, 28. “I thought it was way over our heads…and then it ricocheted [off the stands], and I don’t know how, or what angle it came down, but it dropped directly in front of Chris in the seat in front of him and then it was just a pile of people trying to rip out the ball and me and Chris had a pretty firm grip.”

Maldarella said the “moment you heard the crack of the bat, you knew...

“It was almost like the universe was looking down on us. It was like it wanted us to have that ball. There’s no other way to explain it…What are the chances?”

And then, from Makarius’ perspective: “I’ve never played an inning of baseball in my life, so when the ball went up – I know I can’t track fly balls…(but) it hit the facing and then dropped right in front of me in the seat and I got two hands on it, and I kind of just knew either me or Mike was getting this ball.”

That’s the story of the three Long Island Mets fans who bought tickets to Tuesday’s game in hopes of seeing a milestone from the player they essentially grew up with. Maldarella specifically got tickets in a home run section, but the transaction failed to go through immediately, meaning his group got moved an area over – the area where Alonso hit his shot.

After, they met Alonso and exchanged the ball for signed balls and a bat, got their jerseys signed, and were personally invited to an Orioles game in Baltimore – a trip they plan to make this weekend.

“Pete was the easiest person to talk to,” said Shaw. “He was so cool and comfortable.”

Added Makarius: “He was such a down to earth, easygoing guy. Before I met him, I almost felt starstruck and then when I actually did meet him, I was like, ‘Oh, he’s just a regular dude.’ – super easy to talk to and super kind. Honestly, he didn’t have to do anything of what he did for us, but he did.”

All three had been fans of Alonso and can easily rattle off their favorite moments. Being there for his homecoming was a no-brainer, and so was returning the ball.

“He’s probably the favorite Met of my lifetime, potentially,” Shaw said. “He was so impactful and an absolute stud all around.”

And still, when they met him, it felt easy.

“The conversation flowed pretty naturally,” Shaw added. “He was extremely thankful for us having the ball and getting it back to him and not using it as a bargaining chip.”

In the photos (and in the video posted by ESPN), the four are seen laughing and chatting.

Pete Alonso met up post game with Mike, Nick & Chris - the trio of Mets fans who caught his 300th career home run.

They exchanged the ball for signed baseballs, bats and Alonso to sign their jerseys.

Pete brought beers and offered the trio tickets to games in Baltimore pic.twitter.com/wxxiRlRXzf

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 16, 2026

“He thanked us before any of us could even thank him,” Makarius said. “He just kept saying thank you. I said, ‘Thank you for what? This is your ball.”

In the end, it was a good encapsulation of a surreal few days at Citi Field. It’s nearly unheard of for an opposing player to get a curtain call after hitting a game-tying home run, but Alonso did. Conceptually, it’s striking to see any player from another team be embraced the way Alonso was in his return – so much so that even his former teammates were taken aback.

“It’s all love,” Shaw said. “I don’t think it was Pete’s choice. I can’t speak for anyone, but I don’t think it was his choice to not be on the Mets anymore. I absolutely adored watching him. Even if he [hadn't] hit his home run, I’m glad we went to see him again. I miss him wearing a Mets jersey and I have no animosity toward him not being on the Mets, but I obviously wish he was still on the Mets.”

Added Maldarella: “In any sport, I usually side with the players. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be a Met…I think in a season that was disappointing for so many (in 2025), he was a bright light. Still being able to follow the box score, still getting to follow his progress and seeing him play so well gave us something to cheer for.”

And though there’s a hair of controversy about fans cheering for Alonso, even against the current Mets, Makarius noted that it’s far more nuanced than that.

“I really don’t think it has anything to do with that,” he said. “Pete coming back to the stadium for the first time was the first time fans could truly show their appreciation for him in person. There are no goodbyes when a player leaves in free agency. I don’t think it had anything to do with (things) other than Mets fans wanting to show Pete how much we appreciate him and what he did for the organization for so long."