NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso is taking no chances with his playoff pumpkin.
Wearing a custom hoodie highlighting his now-famous lucky squash, the New York Mets’ slugger said Wednesday the pumpkin was stashed away in his locker at Citi Field.
But away from home, he rarely lets it out of sight.
“What I do, I always take it with me. 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,” Alonso said before Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Admittedly important cargo, the small pumpkin doesn’t get packed in his bags, either.
“Oh no,” the first baseman said. “Like, I carry it with me. Because it could be destroyed in my luggage.”
The “playoff pumpkin,” as Alonso calls it, is one of several (perhaps goofy) good-luck charms the wild-card Mets and their fans have happily embraced throughout this surprising ride deep into October.
He and his wife scooped up the special Halloween accoutrement while visiting a Wisconsin farm when the Mets were playing the Brewers in late September.
It was on display during a wild clubhouse celebration in Milwaukee following Alonso’s go-ahead homer in the ninth inning that saved New York’s season in the Wild Card Series clincher on Oct. 3.
“I just think it’s really fun. I think this has just been an incredible and magical ride. Every single one of us is having a blast,” said Alonso, wearing an “OMG” knit cap in a nod to teammate Jose Iglesias’ hit pop song.
“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.”
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