The Baltimore Orioles were supposed to finish their 2026 MLB season on Sunday in Yankee Stadium.
Turns out, they won’t get the chance to do that. And Pete Alonso won’t get the chance to ensure himself a special first season in Baltimore.
The news came about 4 p.m. ET on Sunday that the Yankees-Orioles game was being postponed.
And because it doesn’t have anything to do with the playoff picture — neither team can move — MLB announced that the game won’t have to be played at all.
That means the Yankees and Orioles finish the year with 161 games instead of 162. Alonso can’t add to his big totals.
Pete Alonso Hurt By Postponement
Pete Alonso is trying to win the AL home run and RBI crowns in his first season with Baltimore.
He entered Sunday with 43 home runs and 113 RBI.
Both of those were tops in the AL.
The RBI crown is probably safe even without the Orioles playing another game. Second place in the American League is held by Yordan Alvarez, who entered the day at 105.
The homer crown, though? Not safe.
Alvarez has 42 homers. So does Junior Caminero.
Both could conceptually have a couple big swings to leapfrog Alonso.
The Yankees’ Ben Rice, who entered the day at 41 home runs, won’t get the chance to do so.
Alonso has had a special season either way. But instead of getting the chance to end it with a bang, it ends with an umbrella and no baseball to be played.
Pete Alonso Contract
The thing to note beyond the stats, though, is that the Orioles look brilliant for having signed Alonso.
The New York Mets decided that they didn’t want to bring back Alonso, partially for defensive and baserunning reasons.
But the reality is that Alonso can still hit, and that should remain true.
He got a five-year, $125 million contract from the Orioles, and he paid off the entire first year of it, to be sure.
Sluggers don’t always age perfectly, but some of them keep launching bombs well into their 30s.
The Orioles have a lot of work to do to grow their roster around the Polar Bear. They have young talent, but it hasn’t all come together.
But it’s clear who their leader will be going forward.
Alonso, after the Orioles’ last home game, led all his teammates onto the field to acknowledge the crowd. He knows what he’s doing — and he certainly knows how to hit.
How Orioles’ Postponement News Hurts Pete Alonso