This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/15/2019
Going into the 2019 season, few baseball fans outside of New York Mets diehards had even heard of Pete Alonso. Less than eight months later, the 24-year-old first baseman has been named N.L. Rookie of the Year and become the most beloved athlete in the Big Apple. The affable 6’ 3” slugger made the Mets roster out of Spring Training, won the job at first base, and enjoyed one of the greatest rookie campaigns in MLB history. His 53 home runs led the majors and set the new single-season record for a rookie, topping Aaron Judge’s 52 in 2017. In fact, "Polar Bear" became the first rookie to ever stand alone as the MLB home run leader (McGwire's 49 in 1987 tied with Andre Dawson). Winner of the Home Run Derby during All-Star weekend, Alonso finished third in the N.L. with 120 RBI was instrumental in helping the Mets make a run at a Wild Card, giving the Queens faithful hope for the future. Of equal importance to what he accomplished in his debut season was how he did it, with a fun-loving attitude and a level of humility that is truly refreshing in today's era of showboating and prima donnas.
Presented here is the Mets road jersey Alonso was wearing on May 17, 2019, when he blasted a pair of solo homers against the Miami Marlins. The first was a 417-foot shot to right-center in the 2nd inning; his second was a liner off the State Farm facade in left-center estimated at 419 feet. The gray Majestic button-up jersey exhibits obvious wear throughout and comes unwashed with a stench of perspiration from the game in South Florida. There is some soiling, sweat staining and pilling evident on the polyester fabric. The size 48 shirt has “New York” across the chest with Pete’s No. “20” below, with his name and number sewn on the back, all in the same color scheme (blue tackle twill outlined in orange). The Mets team logo crest is sewn on the left sleeve and the MLB 150th Anniversary patch appears on the right sleeve. Alonso has signed and inscribed the back numbers with “13th & 14th Career HRs”, “2 HRs” and “Rookie Season” in bold silver marker. It was Alonso’s second of four multi-homer games as a rookie and this is his first multi-homer jersey to hit the auction block. Its use on 5/17/19 has been verified by MLB Authenticated (JD 745106) and can be visually matched quite easily to game photos (Getty 1149958038 and 1149933784).
First HR, 2nd inning
Second HR, 8th inning