First baseman Pete Alonso used to own a cat named “Squirrel,” which is New York Mets teammate Jeff McNeil’s nickname.
In 2019, the world learned a whole lot about Pete Alonso, as the New York Mets All-Star proved to be someone that could be one of the league’s greats for years to come. During his rookie season, Alonso hit a major league-leading 53 home runs and additionally drove in 120 runners from the batter’s box. His home run total broke the single-season rookie record of 52, previously held by New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.
But what people may have not known about the “Polar Bear” is that he had a kitten when he was very young named “Squirrel.” Coincidentally, teammate and fellow All-Star Jeff McNeil possesses “Squirrel” as a nickname.
Alonso’s mother, Michelle, broke the news via Twitter on Saturday.
Both Alonso and McNeil — whether you call them by their respective nicknames or not — will be playing actual baseball very soon. The team’s spring training schedule starts on Feb. 22 with split-squad games in Port St. Lucie, Florida. One squad will take on the St. Louis Cardinals at 1:05 p.m. ET while the other will face the Miami Marlins at 1:10 p.m. ET.
Along with Alonso, McNeil portrayed much talent this past year. The utility player hit 23 home runs with 75 RBIs and a slash line of .318/.384/.531. He finished 4th in the National League and sixth in the entire major leagues in batting average.
The Mets will undergo 32 exhibition games before their regular-season slate commences on March 26 against the Washington Nationals.