Pete Alonso’s support for first responders existed long before the national coronavirus pandemic, but soared to new heights this week when the New York Mets first basemen sent personalized videos to doctors and nurses for their sacrifices during the outbreak.
“I just want to say thank you so much for all the time and effort that you’re putting into this,” Alonso said in part of the video the Mets posted Wednesday. “Thank you on behalf of everybody because you’re part of a bigger picture and trying to help prevent this disease. Thank you for keeping everybody safe and providing protection for everybody if you’re on the front line. Thank you and as always, let’s go Mets!”
In the video, the surprise and joy is all over the medical professionals’ faces as they listened to Alonso, the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year. The 25-year-old also mentions how the coronavirus has given him a new appreciation for the simple things in life, like playing baseball.
After suspending all training camps, it’s unclear when the 2020 MLB season will begin.
Alonso has been immensely generous to New York charities and causes since making the Mets’ Opening Day roster in 2019. Using part of the $1 million he won in the 2019 Home Run Derby, Alonso donated $50,000 to the Wounded Warriors Project, which aids military veterans, and $50,000 to the Tunnels to Towers Foundations, which raises money for families of first responders.
Afterward, Alonso admitted his donations were motivated in part by the fact that both of his grandfathers served in the US military.
The 2019 home run leader also donated the custom cleats and baseball bat, which he had made in honor of first responders on the 18th anniversary of 9/11, to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
