Although Donovan Mitchell is only 28 years old, he has lived through an abundance of pitfalls and heartbreak during his New York Mets fandom. His father has worked with the MLB franchise for 25 years, so the Cleveland Cavaliers star has been bound to loyalty and agony for much of his baseball-watching life. On Thursday night, however, the Orange and Blue gifted the five-time All-Star another unforgettable memory.
Mets slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, who had been quiet in the 2024 MLB playoffs thus far and did not hit a home run in his last 49 at-bats, launched the ball over the wall with one out in the ninth inning. The three-run dinger ultimately boosted the scrappy club to a wild 4-2 comeback victory versus the Milwaukee Brewers in a do-or-die Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series.
Mitchell has enjoyed some of his own adrenaline-inducing moments in the NBA, but he, like the entire Mets fan base, could not contain his excitement after witnessing the clutch, season-extending homer. “OHHHHH MY GODDDD PETEEEEEEEEE,” he posted on X.
Can Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs enjoy their own heroics in 2024-25?
The scars that Queens wears will not instantly vanish after this euphoric moment, but they will be much less noticeable. With this hard-fought thriller in the books, New York could be primed for another historic, logic-defying postseason run. While nothing can replace the emotions that came from the miraculous World Series wins in 1969 and 1986, there is a special aura surrounding the 2024 Mets.
And Donovan Mitchell is glad to be witnessing it. He will surely try to draw inspiration from Pete Alonso and the rest of this group, as Cleveland prepares for a new NBA campaign. The Cavs have spent their fair share of time in the heartbreak hotel over the years, so much that they probably passed the Mets in the hall on their way to the bar. They are hoping to seize their own big-game brilliance this season.
While the Cavaliers did not make a ton of noise in the 2023 NBA playoffs, they finally proved they could win a series in the 21st Century without LeBron James. Now, they have to take another leap forward. Maybe the Mets can reward Mitchell’s allegiance by sprinkling some of their pixie dust on Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
They better save some for themselves, though, as they get set for a huge showdown with the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series. Mitchell will hopefully be able to catch Game 1 on Saturday.
