Pete Alonso, back in Citi Field for the first time as a member of the Baltimore Orioles, must be in dreamland at the moment. After all, not only did he get a warm reception from the New York Mets fans in attendance throughout their three-game series, he also saw the Orioles win all three games to keep in step in the AL Wild Card race. On Wednesday, the Orioles grabbed a convincing 7-1 victory to complete the sweep.

This was an emotionally-charged series for Mets fans and for Alonso as well. Mets fans were clamoring for the 31-year-old first baseman to stay with the team for the long haul, but the front office did not offer him the contract he desired — paving the way for the Orioles to swoop in with a five-year, $155 million contract.

At the end of the day, Alonso will always be beloved in Citi Field grounds, barring an unforeseen turn of events. And he could not be any more thankful for the love he received from Mets fans even after he hit two home runs, including one on Wednesday, in this three-game series.

“It's all appreciation. It's all gratitude. Any time I put on a big-league uniform, I leave it all out there on the field. For the Mets fans, for them to recognize that, for my time that I played in New York, it's really special,” Alonso told the booth at SportsCenter.

“Really appreciate the homecoming. … New York will always have that specialness to it.”

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Now that the emotional homecoming is out of the way, Alonso and the Orioles can now lock in on the task at hand, which is to fight for a Wild Card spot. Even with their latest win, they remain 2.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot, and with nine games to go, they need to play perfect baseball from here on out to secure a postseason berth.

As for the Mets, winning baseball games is the best way to ease the sting of Alonso's departure. Perhaps in 2027, they can find enough success to relieve this heartbreaking feeling.