Mets' Buck Showalter seemingly responds to 'no leadership' dig

New York Mets manager Buck Showalter seemingly noticed a certain dig regarding his club's supposed lack of leadership. 

As noted by ESPN, slugger Pete Alonso homered in all three games during the midweek series against the Tampa Bay Rays despite the fact the "Polar Bear" has been dealing with an unspecified illness. Showalter spoke about Alonso following New York's 3-2 series-clinching win that improved his club to a modest 22-23 on the season. 

"Pete’s a competitive, driven guy," Showalter told reporters, per Alex Smith of SNY. "They talk about leadership. Leadership is more than anything setting an example. Good leaders define reality. … Pete, from the first day I saw him, really likes answering the bell and the responsibilities that he has to be there for his team and organization."

Showalter offered those comments after retired infielder Jason Kipnis recently criticized the 2023 Mets for having "all those veterans and no leadership." Kipnis once played alongside Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor with the now-Cleveland Guardians. 

It's unclear if Showalter and company heard Kipnis' comments, but Alonso indicated after Thursday's victory that he wasn't missing a chance to earn a series win versus the club holding the best overall record in all of MLB. 

"For me, I just don’t want me not feeling well to be an excuse for lack of performance," Alonso explained. "If I’m physically able to go, I’m always willing to go. … I’m always willing to push myself, and I take pride in being out there and playing every day. Like, I post up. That’s one thing that I really take pride in and that’s a characteristic that I want to keep throughout my whole career. That’s just who I am." 

The Mets begin a three-game home series against none other than the 20-23 Guardians on Friday night. Alonso insisted he plans to play even if he's still under the weather by 7:10 p.m. local time.