The New York Yankees won 5-3 on Wednesday night to take the first two games of their series against the Baltimore Orioles ahead of Thursday’s finale.
However, controversy arose late in the game when Orioles slugger Pete Alonso and the entire Orioles dugout, along with the fans at Camden Yards, believed he had hit a go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the seventh.
The ball sailed above the foul pole, making it difficult to determine whether it stayed fair or drifted foul. After a review, the umpires ruled it a foul ball. The call proved pivotal, as Baltimore failed to score again.
Here is another angle of the Pete Alonso foul ball call.
This angle, which is closer to right down the 3B line, is what contributed to the foul call on the field being upheld by MLB’s replay center.
(h/t @JarvFromOz) pic.twitter.com/XJ3hxlHezK
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) August 20, 2026
Aaron Boone’s Message to Alonso
After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone shared his thoughts on the play. Unsurprisingly, as part of the winning team, Boone believed the ball was foul and even had a message for Alonso.
“We were unsure and Webby [the Yankees replay coordinator Brett Weber] went out and looked after the game. He wanted to get on the line and see where … so he’s got a foul. Sorry, Pete.”
When asked if he thought the Yankees “caught a bit of a break,” Boone quickly responded, “No. I thought it was foul.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone on the Pete Alonso foul ball:
“We were unsure, and Webby [Yankees replay coordinator Brett Weber] went out and looked after the game. He wanted to get on the line and see where. So he’s got it foul. Sorry, Pete. I think it was foul.”
🎥: @YESNetwork pic.twitter.com/70jHD8lk6K
— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) August 20, 2026
Craig Albernaz Reacts to Controversial Call
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz also shared his thoughts on the controversial call that appeared to cost Baltimore a potential go-ahead run.
“I was really surprised that it came back stands. The first thing is, on the dugout iPads, there’s ball-tracking data with the field that the players see, so it’s really tough to have that come back as ‘stands’ and have that visual,” Albernaz said. “It’s 2026, the technology is advanced pretty good. Other sports use ball-tracking data for challenging calls. Don’t understand why we don’t. Not why we lost the game, but that moment was a big moment.”
Aaron Boone Sends Honest Message to Pete Alonso During Yankees-Orioles Series