Playing for Team USA at World Baseball Classic means everything to Pete Alonso: "You’re going to have to rip me off the field"
Safe to say, you can consider Team USA first baseman Pete Alonso a baseball patriot. Alonso may wear a New York Mets jersey in his professional life, but at heart he's USA all the way.
Team USA manager Mark DeRosa hammered the point home in an interview posted on the World Baseball Classic Twitter page Friday. He noted the difficulty in getting Alonso off the field during an exhibition game this past week.
"I told Pete 'I'll get you three at-bats,' and he said 'No, I want them all.' I'm like, 'Ok ... but I'm gonna pick you up for defense in the ninth,' and he's like, 'No.'"
"If I ever get a chance to put this (jersey) back on, you're going to have to rip me off the field."
The #WorldBaseballClassic means everything to Pete Alonso. https://t.co/1zttuFJfQj
DeRosa said that Alonso's intention wasn't to hog all the playing time, but that the two-time National League All-Star was so bothered when he wasn't picked for the United States national team when he was a 17-year-old that he swore if he ever got to wear the Red, White and Blue for Team USA, he wasn't going to take the uniform off.
DeRosa relayed what Alonso told him:
"If I ever get a chance to put this (jersey) back on, you're going to have to rip me off the field."
The Team USA manager said that he didn't want Pete Alonso to suffer some freak injury in an exhibition matchup with the Los Angeles Angels, but to little avail:
"He's like, 'I got it.'"
Luckily for DeRosa and the rest of Team USA, Alonso was just fine and will be taking the field for the defending WBC champions when they take the field against tournament debutant Great Britain on Saturday.
Pete Alonso one of four New York Mets on Team USA roster
Pete Alonso is one of four Mets players who are suiting up for the United States in the 2023 WBC. He joins second baseman Jeff McNeil, along with pitchers Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley. Alonso will also be playing with Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker, who was his high school teammate at Plant High School in Tampa, Fla.
Alonso spoke to the New York Post of his excitement to join his old friend and Mets teammates on Team USA:
“I get to reunite with my high school teammate, and we get to represent our country,” Alonso said. “To go with Jeff, Otto and Brooks … and to play with Paul Goldschmidt, there’s not really a scenario where me and him would be on the same team, but to be able to actually be on the same squad and working toward the same goal, to me that is exciting and special, because there is no real scenario where that could happen.”