Orioles’ Pete Alonso hits his 300th career home run at Citi Field — and gets a curtain call

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NEW YORK — In the wildest twist of fate, a visiting player at Citi Field earned a curtain call from the home New Yorkers after he hit a game-tying home run against the Mets.

Only Pete Alonso, now an Orioles star, could earn that here.

“I haven’t really seen a curtain call from a guy wearing gray pants,” manager Craig Albernaz said, alluding to Alonso’s road uniform.

Alonso became the 171st player in Major League Baseball history to join the 300 home run club. It was fitting that this historic blast came against the Mets at Citi Field, considering that 264 of them came while Alonso played for New York.

Alonso knew it right away. He turned, hurled his bat toward the Orioles’ dugout and shouted at his teammates before beginning his 300th home run trot.

Fans cheered — orange and black or orange and blue, it didn’t matter which side — then chanted Alonso’s name until he exited the dugout and waved his hand to his longtime home crowd.

With that homer, which came against right-hander Kodai Senga, Alonso tied the game between the Orioles and Mets at 3-3 in the top of the ninth inning. Baltimore went on to win, 7-5, in extra innings courtesy of Coby Mayo’s inside-the-park home run.

“We’re playing for a spot in October. We’re on the outside looking in, and however we can get the job done, that’s what it takes,” Alonso said. “It takes everybody. And today, pitching did an outstanding job. We had some great at-bats, and then how about Coby Mayo? Three-run inside-the-park homer in the extra innings right there.

“Again, it takes a whole village, a whole team, and I’m just so proud of this group, so proud of this — obviously, super happy about the individual stuff and No. 300. It’s a nice round number, but I’m just so proud of this group. The way we fought today, it’s an unbelievable team win.”

That’s Alonso, all right. The spotlight is shared, even in the clubhouse after the game.

To mark the occasion, Orioles players put Alonso in a laundry cart. But right-hander Alex Hoppe, a rookie who arrived at the trade deadline in August, also experienced a personal milestone. He earned his first major league win as a pitcher.

So they put Hoppe in another cart.

“We didn’t make them share,” right-hander Shane Baz said. “He’s too gigantic to put them both in one cart.”

Then the Orioles pushed veteran and rookie — 300 and 1 — into the showers and sprayed beer everywhere.

“I think he can kind of hold that close to him for the rest of his life,” Mayo said. “[Alonso’s] 300th career homer beer shower, and he’s right there alongside with him. Good for Hoppe.”

That is fitting for Alonso, who has seems to will everyone forward alongside him. The season started slowly for the slugging first baseman, but here in mid-September he has Alonso-esque numbers with 36 homers and 101 RBIs.

The five-year, $155 million contract the Orioles handed him this winter looks well worth it so far, and what he did in the ninth inning shows the caliber of player he is.

He was hitless entering that ninth inning at-bat across the first two days at Citi Field. He had dealt with massive media duties and huge fan interest. There was all the pressure in the world on him for this three-game series. The Orioles were down by one in the ninth inning.

And he tied it with No. 300.

“That’s why you sign a guy like Pete, to come up in that spot and hit a huge home run in a huge moment,” Mayo said. “It just speaks volumes of how good a player he is and kind of how big he’s been for this team this year. I don’t know where we’d be without him. He’s been unbelievable.”

After he finished talking with reporters — and once he showered all the beer off — Alonso walked into the hallway. He brought a few beers with him and handed them to a trio of Mets fans, Mike, Nick and Chris.

That group caught Alonso’s 300th homer. In return, Alonso gave them signed baseballs and bats, signed their jerseys and, for good measure, offered the group tickets to a game in Baltimore.

This was Alonso’s night. But Alonso made sure it was those fans’ night, too. He made sure it was Mayo’s night, shouting him out repeatedly during his press conference. He made sure it was Hoppe’s night when he shared the beer shower.

And he made sure it was the Orioles’ night.

“We’re all just so happy for him,” Baz said. “He’s such a freaking dog. He just plays through everything. He never complains. He’s just Steady Eddie for us. It’s just like he’s always there. You can count on him. You just love having guys like that.”