Alu's return to Citizens Bank Park a full-circle moment for rookie

PHILADELPHIA -- The 50-mile drive from Princeton, N.J., to Philadelphia was the highlight of Jake Alu’s day.

Most times, the trip was Alu and his grandfather driving to Citizens Bank Park. When his grandfather was unavailable, Alu went with his dad. And as he got older, the treks involved his friends.

“One of my first memories is going to a Phillies game as a little kid,” said Alu, who is ranked as the Nationals’ No. 17 prospect by MLB Pipeline. “We used to sit right above the first-base dugout. … I always wanted to go. I loved it.”

That young baseball fan who went to games decked out in Phillies gear would grow up to wear a Nationals uniform when he returned to the ballpark this week. Alu, a rookie utility player, appeared in all four games of the four-game series between National League East rivals in his first trip back to his hometown stadium as a Major Leaguer.

“That kid would have been like, ‘Oh, absolutely, no doubt [I would play here],’” Alu said with a smile after the Nationals’ 6-2 loss to the Phillies on Thursday night. “It was definitely special, it was exciting.”

With his grandfather having a pair of season tickets growing up, Alu went to around 10 games a season. The playoffs were when the excitement intensified -- he would get dismissed early from school to attend postseason showdowns.

“You know how you let all the classmates know? I was cocky the whole day,” Alu said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m leaving.’ It was funny. [The teachers] would love it because half of them were Phillies fans, too, so they were all fired up for me.”

The night that stands out in Alu’s mind is Game 2 of the 2010 NL Division Series between the Phillies and the Reds. With Philadelphia trailing, 4-3, in the bottom of the seventh and runners on first and second, Jay Bruce lost Jimmy Rollins’ fly ball in right-center field and the go-ahead run scored.

“They were waving the white flags in the playoffs, and he lost it in the white flags,” Alu said. “It went right over his glove. … The stadium was loud. That was crazy.”

As Alu got older, the perspective from which he viewed the games changed. After graduating from Princeton Day School, he went on to play four years at Boston College before he was selected by the Nationals in the 24th round of the 2019 Draft. That summer, he got his first experience of pro ball.

“Instead of watching the game and enjoying it, you’re watching it and learning,” he said.

Alu has taken what he gleaned from attending games with his grandfather -- who taught him about prospects in addition to the fundamentals -- to what he took from watching Major Leaguers in action on the field and applied it to his journey in the bigs. After three-plus seasons in the Minors, Alu made his Major League debut on May 9 at age 26.

“I always kind of took the underdog role,” Alu said. “… I’ve just always had a chip on my shoulder, and that chip hasn’t gone anywhere. So I’m excited for this opportunity.”

Alu has been tabbed at second base, third base and left field in his first 13 Major League games, including starting at second for three of the four games in the Philly series.

“He loves to play the game, he really does,” said manager Dave Martinez. “He’s a student of the game. He’s really starting to understand what he can do and wants to do it all the time, no matter what -- if it’s on the field, if it’s baserunning, if it’s hitting.”

And when it came to hitting, Alu collected his first hit in his first at-bat at Citizens Bank Park in Game 1 of the doubleheader on Tuesday -- a line-drive single into right field off Zack Wheeler. Coincidentally, Alu grew up friends with the son of Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy, who knew what that achievement meant to Alu and helped get the ball signed by Wheeler.

“I’ll give it to my dad, for sure,” Alu said.

When the series began, Alu estimated he would have 20-25 friends and family at the park throughout the week. By Thursday evening, he had lost track. One special guest was his close friend Ross Colton, who Alu doesn’t get to see often because they have opposite work schedules -- Colton plays in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.

“I don’t know who didn’t not show up, seriously,” Alu said.

They came to watch Alu play in a Major League game, just like he loved doing so many times at the same stadium growing up.