Mets' Pete Alonso tips helmet to Citi Field fans after prompting from home plate umpire

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso stepped up to the plate in the first inning of what could be his final home game at Citi Field and was met by a huge ovation.

“Are you going to tip you cap or something?” Alonso recalled home plate umpire John Libka telling him. “I can give you time right here.”

“Oh, yeah,” Alonso told him. “I was really happy that John reminded me.”

Alonso waved his helmet to the sellout crowd of 43,139, then tapped his helmet to his heart after the first of several standing ovations.

“It’s wild. It's something you just really — you kind of hear about or read about or kind of see in movies," Alonso said.

Alonso went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in the Mets' 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday night. With a week left in the season, New York is in position for the second NL wild card and two games ahead of Atlanta for the final postseason berth.

“This what this is what our identity is,” Alonso said. “We fight and scratch for every pitch, every out. A game like today really shows the character and who we are, who the 2024 Mets are.”

Alonso is hitting .244 with 31 homers and 86 RBIs. The 29-year-old has a $20.5 million, one-year contract, can become a free agent after the World Series and is represented by Scott Boras, an agent known for testing the market.

“POLAR BEAR PLEASE STAY” and “SAVE THE POLAR BEAR” said a pair of hand-held signs, referring to Alonso's nickname.

“That’s what makes this city such a special city,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I got goosebumps when that happened.”

A four-time All-Star who's been a fan favorite since hitting 53 homers in 2019 and winning NL Rookie of the Year, Alonso says he's not thinking about free agency and is concentrating on winning his first World Series title, which would be the Mets' first since 1986.

“We got some more meat left on the bone of this,” he said. “We still have work to do and we need to finish.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Mets' Pete Alonso walks back to the dugout after striking out in the first inning during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Mets' Pete Alonso watches his long fly ball go foul in the eighth inning during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Mets' Pete Alonso, left, and Brandon Nimmo, right, celebrate after Nimmo's home run in the sixth inning during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Mets' Pete Alonso hit a long foul ball in the eighth inning during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso came back out onto the field to take pictures with his wife Haley after a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso came back out onto the field to take pictures with his family after a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

New York Mets batter Pete Alonso waves to the fans as he steps to the plate in the first inning during a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, continuing a multiday U.S. visit, addressed a cultural celebration on Long Island Sunday, where he praised the United States' return of nearly 300 antiquities to India and relayed news of his country's dual win at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, to an enthusiastic crowd.

“I just got some very good news," Modi told an estimated 13,000 people inside Nassau Veterans Coliseum for an event billed as a celebration of cultural ties between India and the United States. “In the Chess Olympiad, in both the men’s and women’s tournament, India has won gold medals,” he said to applause in a speech that was translated into English for an online audience.

Modi was reelected in June following a marathon election in which more than 640 million votes were cast over a span of six weeks in the world’s largest democratic exercise.

“This year, 2024, is a very important one for the entire world,” he said. “On the one hand, there are conflicts raging between several countries in the world, there is tension. And on the other, democracy is being celebrated in several countries of the world. India and America are also together in this celebration of democracy.”

Modi's appearance in New York came a day after he attended a summit hosted by President Joe Biden in Wilmington, Delaware, for leaders of the so-called Quad that also included Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan.

Also Saturday, Modi accepted the return of 297 antiquities spanning thousands of years that had been stolen or trafficked from India. The U.S. has returned nearly 600 such cultural artifacts to India since 2016, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs.

On Monday, the prime minister is expected to attend a United Nations summit in advance of this week's General Assembly.

Sunday's event was sponsored by the not-for-profit Indo American Community of USA.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi speaks at an event in Uniondale, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi speaks at an event in Uniondale, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, waves to the crowd after speaking at an event in Uniondale, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, speaks at an event in Uniondale, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, speaks at an event in Uniondale, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, top left, waves to the crowd after speaking at an event in Uniondale, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, speaks at an event in Uniondale, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, speaks at an event in Uniondale, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)