Baltimore’s postseason door closed on an off day, with Chicago’s 9-1 victory in Kansas City securing the White Sox a playoff berth and ending the Orioles’ mathematical path. That leaves three games in the 2026 season, all against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, and a final chance for a club that had been playing from too far back for some time to leave New York with something useful in hand.
The Orioles cannot finish above .500, but a sweep in the Bronx would bring them even. It would require breaking a long-running Yankee Stadium drought: Baltimore has not swept a series of at least three games there since June 6-8, 1986. The club has already assured itself of improving on last season’s 75-87 mark, though it has not landed exactly at 81-81 since 2015.
Pete Alonso is not interested in treating the standings as an excuse to coast through the final weekend. “No matter what the record says, I want us playing good, quality baseball,” the first baseman said. “We have to leave everything we have out there, because once the 162 games are done, you wait for spring. We want to win all three. That is the objective every time we take the field.”
Alonso has given Baltimore plenty to remember in his first season with the club. Through 159 games, the 31-year-old had a team-leading 41 home runs, and his remarkable availability suggests he should be in the lineup all weekend; he has not missed a game since 2023. Six homers over his last eight contests, including three in Baltimore’s recent three-game sweep of Toronto, have put more history within reach.
His 41 already rank ninth among Orioles seasons since the franchise arrived in Baltimore in 1954. Chris Davis holds the club record with 53 in 2013, followed by Brady Anderson’s 50 in 1996 and Frank Robinson’s 49 in 1966. Davis and Mark Trumbo each reached 47, Jim Gentile hit 46 in 1961, Anthony Santander posted 44 in 2024, and Rafael Palmeiro had 43 in 1998. Alonso could pass Palmeiro with three more and would need four to move beyond Santander.
A few September threads still worth following
Alonso also enters the last series holding the American League RBI lead at 110. He led the National League with 131 RBIs in 2022, and no Major League player has led both leagues in RBIs in separate seasons since the statistic became official in 1920. The weekend offers him the opportunity to finish a rare cross-league accomplishment, even if the Orioles have no October race left to chase.
There is also the sight of Félix Bautista back on a major league mound after another punishing rehabilitation road. The former All-Star closer returned earlier this week following right shoulder surgery, having already missed the entire 2024 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Bautista has made two appearances since rejoining the bullpen, allowing one run in two-thirds of an inning against Milwaukee on Sunday and two runs over one inning against Toronto on Wednesday.
The line scores matter less than the innings at this stage. Bautista has not moved back into the closer’s role, but the Orioles can take encouragement from seeing their 31-year-old reliever work in big league games before an offseason aimed at restoring the dominant version of The Mountain in 2027. “I stayed committed and concentrated on the work,” Bautista said through interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I knew this road would be as long as the Tommy John recovery and that it would take time, but the work was always my focus.”
Friday’s doubleheader brings one more significant decision point. Trevor Rogers is scheduled to start the opener, and it could be the 28-year-old left-hander’s final outing as an Oriole. Rogers, Baltimore’s 2025 Most Valuable Oriole, owns a 4.07 ERA across 29 starts this season, but that overall number masks a stronger second stretch: since June 4, he has posted a 2.92 ERA in 19 starts.
Rogers is headed for free agency after the season, although a return remains possible. Baltimore could pursue a new agreement or use a qualifying offer to retain him for another year. For now, the assignment is simpler than the offseason questions: take the ball in the Bronx, help set the tone for a three-game closing push, and give the Orioles one last chance to finish this season with a clean, hard-played series.
