NEW YORK -- The Playoff Pumpkin is alive and well.
Pete Alonso's pumpkin, first purchased in Wisconsin when the New York Mets were playing the Milwaukee Brewers in a wild-card series, currently sits in his locker at Citi Field. It is a reminder not only of Alonso's ninth-inning home run off Brewers closer Devin Williams that saved the Mets' season, but of all the good fortune that has gone the Mets' way so far in October.
Indeed, Alonso seems a little possessive about his prized gourd. It goes on the road with him, of course -- so far, from Milwaukee to Philadelphia to New York to Los Angeles and now back to New York.
"What I do, I always take it with me," Alonso said before Game 3 of the NLCS, greeting reporters in a Playoff Pumpkin hoodie and OMG ski cap. "On the road I've taken it back to the hotel because I don't want any clubbies or anybody messing with it. It's kept safe every day."
And, no, the pumpkin does not go in his suitcase.
"Oh, no, I carry it with me. Because it could be destroyed in my luggage," he said, with the seriousness of facing Blake Treinen with the game on the line.
The #Postseason Pumpkin is BACK! :jack_o_lantern:
— MLB ( @mlb ) October 16, 2024
Pete Alonso has arrived at Citi Field, bringing only the necessities :joy: pic.twitter.com/89gUnYULON
The Playoff Pumpkin is the latest of the Mets' memes from this roller-coaster season, one which saw them near the bottom of the National League in early June and not clinch a playoff spot until the day after the regular season was supposed to end.
Indeed, many Mets fans will argue the season turned around on June 12 -- when McDonald's mascot Grimace threw out the first pitch at Citi Field.
Entering that game the Mets were 28-37 and well out of the playoff picture. The talk was about which players they might be trading at the deadline -- including Alonso, who is heading into free agency.
The Mets beat the Miami Marlins that night, hitting three home runs and kicking off a seven-game winning streak. From June 12 through the end of the regular season, the Mets had the best record in the majors.
Sure, give some credit to Francisco Lindor hitting better after a slow start or Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana dominating in the second half -- but make sure to give some of the credit to Grimace.
And then there's second baseman Jose Iglesias' single "OMG" becoming the Mets' theme song after its release in late June. Released under Iglesias' stage moniker "Candelita," the song's video has more than 4.5 million views on YouTube.
The song, with its bilingual chorus, now echoes throughout Citi Field during Mets games.
Mets fans -- and players -- have embraced all the fun.
"I think this has just been an incredible and magical ride," Alonso said. "Every single one of us is having a blast. So that's why -- whether it's OMG, whether it's Grimace or the playoff pumpkin -- every team has a thing, whether it be playoff beards or whatever. It's pretty much unanimous in every sport. But it's just the whole group is just having a blast. So that's pretty much what all this signifies."
So when you watch these next three games in New York, that's why you'll see Mets players wearing OMG hats in the cool fall weather, fans dressed up in their purple Grimace costumes and lots of references to pumpkins.
The vibes are strong. The ride is, indeed, magical.
If the Mets do end up winning their first World Series since 1986, the players, no doubt, should award a winner's share to Grimace and maybe another to that pumpkin patch in Wisconsin.