Umpires nudging led to Pete Alonso helmet tip with Mets future uncertain

Pete Alonso came to the plate to a standing ovation from much of the sold-out Citi Field crowd in the bottom of the first in what could have been his final game there as a Met.The first baseman said the reaction caught him off guard, so much so that he didn’t know what to do.Alonso said home plate umpire John Libka had a message for him when he got into the box.“John said, ‘Are you gonna tip your cap or something? I can give you time,’ ” Alonso said after the Mets’ 2-1 win over Philadelphia.“I said, ‘What?’ I was worried about my at-bat, but [thought] ‘Yeah, I should.’ I’m happy John reminded me.”It was the first of four loud ovations for Alonso, who is headed to free agency for the first time.If things go well for the Mets over the next couple of weeks, though, he could be back again.And Sunday’s win over the Phillies helped their cause, since Alonso said he had a similar mentality as Carlos Mendoza: He’s wasn’t looking at Sunday’s game as anything final in Queens.The Mets are two games ahead of the Braves for the final NL wild card with the series between the two set to begin in Atlanta on Tuesday and asked about Sunday potentially being his final game at Citi Field, Alonso said beforehand, “In my mind, it isn’t.”In order for the Mets to play at Citi Field again, they would likely have to make it to the NLDS, since all the wild card series games are at the higher seed.“I’m really excited for this opportunity that we worked so hard for this year,’’ Alonso said.

“Today is not about me.This about us and who we are.

This is about the 2024 Mets.From where we’ve come as a group, we’ve come so far.

We just need to finish.”It’s something they didn’t do in 2022 when a three-game sweep at the hands of the Braves in Atlanta in the middle of September helped cost the Mets a division title.Alonso is confident they will close strong on the road this time around to secure a wild card spot.Following Monday’s off day...