Pete Alonso -- General News

The Baltimore Orioles defeated the Miami Marlins 7-4 on Wednesday night, with Pete Alonso providing the offensive spark with a three-run homer in the first inning. Alonso's blast traveled 407 feet to left-center off starter Eury Perez and staked Baltimore to an early 3-0 lead. The Marlins answered with two runs in the bottom of the first on Jakob Marsee's two-run double and Owen Caissie's RBI single, but the Orioles pulled away with additional runs in the fourth and seventh innings. Adley Rutschman added two RBI doubles in the fifth and seventh, while Dylan Beavers contributed a go-ahead ground-rule double in the fourth and Blaze Alexander added an RBI triple in the eighth.

Alonso's performance continues a dominant stretch against Miami, with the Orioles slugger now owning 57 extra-base hits and 33 homers against the Marlins since his 2019 debut—the most by any player against a single opponent during that span. On the pitching side, Brandon Young (3-1) recovered after allowing three runs in the opening inning, holding the Marlins scoreless over the next five innings. Rico Garcia earned his second save with a ninth-inning appearance, maintaining an impressive 0.53 ERA across 18 appearances this season.

The victory marked Baltimore's second consecutive win at Miami and provided relief after the team was swept 4-0 by the Yankees in New York and outscored 39-10 in that series. Taylor Ward, who entered the game with the fourth-best on-base percentage in baseball, drew three walks and scored each time, raising his OBP from .429 to .434. The Orioles seek to complete a three-game sweep on Thursday night, with LHP Cade Povich (1-1, 4.41 ERA) scheduled to start against Marlins RHP Max Meyer (2-0, 2.68).

Pete Alonso, who signed a five-year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles this offseason, will face the New York Yankees for the first time in multiple games as a non-Met. Previously, Alonso's sole annual visits to Yankee Stadium came during Mets-Yankees Subway Series matchups, where he batted .225 with 7 homers in 19 games. Alonso departed the Mets after surpassing Darryl Strawberry as the franchise's all-time home run leader.

The Orioles enter the series struggling at 15-16 through April, trailing first-place New York by five games in the AL East. Alonso has contributed to the slow start, hitting .198 with 4 homers and 13 RBIs. He did homer in a 5-3 win over Houston on Tuesday, and the Orioles split Thursday's doubleheader against the Astros. The Yankees, conversely, are playing well with a 10-2 record in their last 12 games after returning home from a 7-2 road trip.

Baltimore will face the Yankees seven times over the next two weeks as they attempt to close their early division deficit. The Yankees' potential concern is left fielder Jasson Dominguez's left elbow after he was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's 3-0 loss to Texas and had to exit the game.

Pete Alonso returned to New York for the first time since signing with the Baltimore Orioles, noting that he never received a final conversation from Mets management or ownership before his departure. The franchise's lack of formal goodbye surprised some observers, though Alonso indicated he was not shocked, explaining that as his relationship with Baltimore progressed, the Mets appeared to accept his departure. Alonso's only significant interaction was a brief gym conversation with new manager Carlos Mendoza in Tampa.

Despite the abrupt nature of his exit, Alonso spoke fondly of his time with the organization, reflecting on personal memories including the birth of his third child at Mount Sinai hospital. He acknowledged the challenges of living in the tri-state area but emphasized the baseball memories and personal milestones accumulated during his tenure. The Mets currently struggle with an 11-21 record, the worst in baseball, but Alonso expressed confidence in their ability to turn things around, noting the team made a similar comeback in 2024 after being widely dismissed.

Pete Alonso will make multiple trips to Yankee Stadium for the first time in his career when the Baltimore Orioles face the New York Yankees in a four-game series beginning May 1, 2026. Previously, Alonso visited the stadium only for Subway Series games with the Mets, posting a .225 average with 7 home runs and 19 RBIs across 19 games. After not receiving a contract offer from the Mets, Alonso signed a five-year, $155 million deal with Baltimore.

Alonso's transition to the Orioles has been rocky. Through the first month of the season, he is batting .198 with 4 home runs and 13 RBIs, contributing to Baltimore's sluggish 15-16 record and six wins in their last 15 games. Despite the slow start, Alonso expressed optimism earlier in the week, stating "It's just one of those things where it's still early. If we do what we're supposed to do, if we end up a game above .500, or right at .500, at the end of the month -- obviously, not a perfect start, but honestly, it could be a lot worse."

The Orioles trail the first-place Yankees by five games in the AL East and face them seven times over the next two weeks. The Yankees bring strong momentum to the series, posting a 7-2 record on a recent nine-game road trip and winning 10 of their last 12 games. New York is expected to activate injured shortstop Anthony Volpe from the injured list during the weekend series.

Pete Alonso, now with the Baltimore Orioles, stated that the Mets made no final offer or pitch during his free agency process in December. While he spoke with former teammates and manager Carlos Mendoza, there was no engagement from Mets ownership or front office leadership before he signed his five-year, $155 million deal with Baltimore. Alonso was not surprised by the lack of pursuit, attributing it to his strong market momentum with the Orioles.

The Mets' disinterest represented a dramatic shift from their approach one year prior, when they aggressively pursued Alonso after he had suffered through his worst season. He accepted a two-year, $54 million deal with a player opt-out then. After a strong 2024 rebound (38 home runs, 126 RBIs, .871 OPS), he opted out as expected and left the organization.

To replace the franchise's all-time home run leader (264 HRs), the Mets signed Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million contract despite Polanco never having started a professional game at first base. Polanco's transition to the position has proven disastrous: he batted .179 with one home run and a .532 OPS before being placed on the injured list with a bruised wrist in April. The move was part of a broader winter overhaul that included a nearly completely new coaching staff and the departure of four of the organization's longest-tenured players.

Pete Alonso hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning to lead the Orioles to a 5-3 victory over the Astros. The homer was Alonso's fourth of 2026. Adley Rutschman contributed two RBI singles and Samuel Basallo added an RBI in the first inning. Right-hander Shane Baz earned his first win in six starts, pitching 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball.

Alonso remains in an early slump offensively, batting .198 with a .659 OPS through 29 games since joining Baltimore on his five-year, $155 million contract signed in December. However, there are positive indicators of an imminent breakout. He drew eight walks over six games in mid-April and maintains elite offensive metrics, with a hard-hit rate in the 95th percentile of MLB. Manager Craig Albernaz noted that once Alonso gets into a groove offensively, "it's going to be dangerous."

Alonso's defense has been a bright spot, earning praise from Albernaz and teammate Shane Baz. On Tuesday, he made a diving stop to rob Yordan Alvarez of a hit in the fifth inning. The 31-year-old's first base defense ranks among the best of his eight-year career. Albernaz stated his defense "has been better than advertised" and "elite for us at first base."

The Baltimore Orioles are struggling early in the 2026 season with a 15-20 record following a sweep by the New York Yankees. The team has lost five consecutive games, all by margins of five or more runs, placing them five games below .500 in the AL East. Pete Alonso, the team's notable free-agent signing, expressed confidence despite the poor start, stating that "it's not about how you start, it's about how and where you finish" and that the team can use this difficult stretch positively.

The Orioles possess significant offensive firepower with All-Star caliber hitters including Gunnar Henderson, Taylor Ward, Adley Rutschman, and Alonso himself. However, pitching has emerged as a critical weakness, with four starting pitchers posting 5.00+ ERAs. With 127 games remaining and last season ending in disappointment, the organization appears motivated to avoid another failed campaign, though the pitching rotation will need substantial improvement for a turnaround.