Mets playoff pumpkin, explained: How Pete Alonso's fall squash became postseason good-luck charm

The Mets thrilling playoff run has come with many good luck charms throughout the season. Whether it's Jose Iglesias' hit song "OMG" or Grimace throwing out the first pitch, New York has embraced the quirkiness of their season this year.

Now, the team has a new good luck charm: Pete Alonso's playoff pumpkin.

What is the significance of the playoff pumpkin and when did the team start rallying behind it? The Sporting News explains.

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Mets playoff pumpkin, explained

Alonso explained that when the Mets were in Milawaukee at the end of the regular season, he and his wife found the pumpkin while visiting a farm in the area. Alonso decided to bring it back to the team, giving the organization a new charm as it headed into a crucial week of games.

The pumpkin is small enough to fit in one of Alonso's hands, as he displayed it after the Mets' 4-2 win over the Brewers to clinch the Wild Card series.

"It's the playoff pumpkin," Alonso said. "Nothing's more fall than playoff baseball and pumpkins."

Mets "OMG" song and Grimace memes, explained

While most teams have one good luck charm each season, the Mets have used several to help them get this far. The biggest of the bunch is "OMG," the hit song from second baseman Jose Iglesias that has become the soundtrack of the season . New York also rode a winning streak after Grimace, McDonalds' purple mascot, threw out the first pitch during the summer .

So far, those charms have worked, as the Mets went from potentially missing the playoffs to now becoming the biggest story of the playoffs.

That momentum has carried forward. Over the last week alone, the Mets have avoided elimination with exciting victories. First, New York came back to beat the Braves last Monday in the first game of a doubleheader to clinch a playoff spot. Then, Alonso hit a big three-run home run in Game 3 against the Brewers to send the team to the NLDS.

On Tuesday, New York will play its first home game of the postseason, and its first home game since September 22, during Game 3 of the NLDS vs. the Phillies.

If the team can keep winning, the playoff pumpkin, for as long as it stays fresh, will remain in the spotlight.