Baseball players always have been superstitious. No matter how much the game changes — launch angles, juiced baseballs, defensive shifts, you name it — it doesn’t seem that will ever change. The latest example? Mets rookie sensation Pete Alonso, who was having a bad game Thursday and decided to take it out on his mustache.
That’s right. Alonso, after going 0 for 3 with two strikeouts in his first three at-bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks, went into the clubhouse and took a razor to his blond mustache. The next time up, the clean-shaven Alonso had no better luck, grounding out and striking out in his final two plate appearances.
Pete Alonso is superstitious and — wait for it — super-‘stache-ious. https://t.co/QxZXBBtd4M
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) September 12, 2019
A hair-raising season
By any measure, Alonso’s rookie season has been a wild success. He was the Mets’ top prospect and expected to make a splash when he made the Major Leagues, of course, but he exceeded even the wildest expectations.
Alonso isn’t just the front-runner for NL Rookie of the Year. He’s an MVP candidate who leads the majors with 47 home runs. He also has become a team leader and fan favorite in Queens.
No. 47.@Pete_Alonso20 doesn’t want to let go of the HR lead. pic.twitter.com/tQu7vecFmq
— MLB (@MLB) September 10, 2019
A hairy stretch
After Alonso homered twice Monday to take over the Major League lead, he suddenly has gone cold. Counting Thursday’s 0-for-5, Alonso is hitless in his past 13 at-bats.
His solution? Downright hairy.
“I had very terrible at-bats before,” Alonso said, according to ESPN.com. “And so I’m like, all right, mustache needs to go. Simple as that.”
The only problem for Alonso is that if the cold stretch continues, it’ll take more time for the lucky ‘stache to grow back. But something tells us that won’t be a problem with this superstitious slugger.
Pete Alonso shaved his mustache during the game. It’s simply unacceptable for the Mets to have 10 runs without at least one home run from him. pic.twitter.com/ejH8mIETJe
— Roger Cormier (@yayroger) September 12, 2019
