Kevin Armstrong offers https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/sports/pete-alonso-mets.html20 facts about Pete Alonso in the Times. No. 5 is kind of unfortunate. 5. He is a former Yankee. Alonso was raised in a house five miles from George M. Steinbrenner Field and played for the Yankees in the Tampa Bay Little League with Steinbrenner's grandson, Joe. After he won a title in 2002 at age 7, Alonso received a letter from the former Yankees manager Joe Torre congratulating Alonso for “upholding the reputation of our team.” Alonso framed it and hung it on his bedroom wall.