Following Pete Alonso’s defensive blunder during Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader, the Detroit Tigers took a temporary 2-0 lead. Despite his previous Gold Glove-worthy defense for the Baltimore Orioles, Alonso’s recent error drew backlash online. Amid his struggles at the plate, fans compared his performance with that of the New York Mets this season. The Mets are having one of their worst seasons at the bottom of the NL East, 6.5 games away from a Wild Card chance.

Alonso has already left the Mets behind after last year’s late-season downfall, and a comparison to one of the worst teams in the league is unwanted. On Sunday, Alonso intentionally let a pop-up drop, aiming to turn a double play. With runners on base, he wanted to execute a 3-6-3 double play, but Alonso’s plan fell through as the ball rolled away. Jomboy Media posted on X (formerly Twitter):

“Pete Alonso tried to let this ball drop to turn it into a double play. Instead, he got zero outs,” wrote the X handle.

With zero outs at the top of the fourth, the Tigers’ Dillon Dingler popped up directly to Alonso at first. But the former Met let the ball drop intentionally, aiming to turn it into a double play as there was a runner on first. But Alonso’s plan backfired completely as he misjudged the bounce on the ball. It landed on the dirt and rolled away.

The five-time All-Star was left to make a rushed throw to second base as he had to track the ball down in the dirt. His throw bounced in the dirt; Jackson couldn’t field it. Instead of an out, the Orioles got zero, and both Tigers’ runners reached base safely.

Furthermore, Detroit took advantage of Alonso’s error to gain a 2-0 lead, which the Orioles ultimately overcame. Baltimore’s 5-3 win was Alonso’s saving grace.

Colton Cowser drove the walk-off home run with two outs at the bottom of the ninth, bringing the Orioles home. The Orioles and the Tigers split the doubleheader, with Detroit winning the second game 4-1.

But Alonso’s contribution at the plate remained nil as he went hitless in his four at-bats. In his first year at Baltimore after leaving the Mets, the slugger has gone through ups and downs. He is hitting .226 with 10 homers, 32 RBI, for a .747 OPS, much lower than his career OPS of .851.

However, before Sunday’s blunder, the first baseman excelled defensively this season. For the Orioles, he currently has +3 outs above average.

Meanwhile, his recent misplay has made fans skeptical, considering his defensive struggles from previous seasons.

Fans call out Pete Alonso’s defensive blunder, draw Mets comparison

Alonso’s misplay at first base pushed multiple fans to compare it with the Mets. One wrote, “You can take the boy out of the Mets, but you can’t take the Mets out of the boy,” while another commented, “He’s still got a little Mets in him.”

After the 2025 season, Pete Alonso signed a 5-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles to become their new first baseman. While the Mets have suffered spectacularly this season, holding a 22-31 record, the Orioles have not fared much better. In second-to-last place in the AL East, Baltimore holds a 23-30 record this season. Though Alonso has recorded only two errors defensively, his recent error reminded fans of the -9 OAA seasons he had with the Mets in 2024 and 2025. They believe he is still playing like he was in New York.

“Yep, that’s the Pete Alonso defense we all know so well,” remarked another. As a 1B, Pete Alonso has struggled during his time at Queens. In the previous two seasons, he recorded a total of 17 errors. Last season, he held a fielding percentage of .992.

A user wrote, “This serves him right. Just play honorably,” while another rightly noted, “Polar opposite of his intention.” Alonso saw a chance to sneak in a double play with Dingler’s hit, and he took it. Unfortunately, it was a misplay on his part as he failed to read the backspin on the ball. However, if he had executed it correctly, Alonso would have been applauded for the effort.

While most bashed Alonso for his decision, some pointed fingers at the second baseman. One fan wrote, “2b not being able to field that is absolutely terrible. Low for sure, every middle infielder should not have a problem with that.” Alonso’s throw to second was a rushed one. The ball bounced in the dirt once before it hit 2B, Jeremiah Jackson, who did not make the catch.

Alonso will be in action again on Monday when the Orioles face the league-best and division rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays.