Orioles‘ new first baseman Pete Alonso hit two home runs in game one of yesterday’s 10-2 win, the first of a doubleheader on Friday. Alonso’s first home run came in the top of the 1st inning off Yankees starting pitcher Brendan Beck, and it was 104.9 mph off the bat and traveled 407 feet to left field. Alonso’s second home run, however, traveled a mammoth 471 feet to the left field bleachers in Yankee Stadium. It was Alonso’s 43rd home run of the season with 113 RBIs.
Alonso’s Great First Season In Baltimore
The offensive production Alonso has provided his first year in Baltimore is on brand for the kind of impactful player he is. Alonso can hit anywhere from 30-40-plus home runs in a given season and drive in over 100 runs, but his biggest calling card is durability. Alonso has played in 161 Orioles games this year. When he was with the Mets, he regularly played every game (162). This is a guy who makes himself available in the lineup every single day, and yet produces.
The Orioles signed Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal this past offseason, in which the former career Met took his talents from Queens to Baltimore. Alonso now finishes his first Orioles season making a strong first impression, not that he needed to necessarily anyway, considering Alonso’s profile with the Mets is what he’s done in Baltimore the first year of a five-year contract. Since Alonso left, the Mets struggled, posting a 73-87 record, 5th place (last) in the NL East, and struggling to get consistent first base production from the likes of Jorge Polanco, who’s played in just 37 games this season with a .431 OPS, and guys like Christoper Morel, Jared Young, and Eric Wageman all filling in time at first base for the Mets during the 2026 season.
Alonso’s Impact In Queens and Baltimore
The Mets clearly don’t seem to have a first-base identity since letting Alonso walk, while the Orioles are hoping Alonso is a cornerstone on a future roster they hope will have better days ahead after what’s been a disappointing season in Baltimore. The Orioles finished with a 79-82 record (4th place) in the AL East and were officially eliminated from the postseason the other day. Alonso commented on the news before Friday’s doubleheader, in which he talked about collective accountability, stating, “Us as a group, if we all attack those margins and you look up, next year, hopefully, we’ll be in a better spot,” Alonso told Orioles beat reporter Jake Rill of MLB.com.
The Orioles will have Alonso’s leadership and consistent production to look forward to in 2027 and beyond as Baltimore navigates a rough 2026 season. With still-young players like Dylan Beavers, Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Colby Mayo, the team will look for more development in its current group while solidifying the rotation and bullpen. All things considered, the future will be interesting to follow as Alonso’s Baltimore chapter is just getting started, with Alonso and the franchise hoping for better days ahead.
Orioles’ Pete Alonso’s Two Home Run Game At Yankee Stadium