Pete Alonso’s first summer in Baltimore has become a power show with a late-season pulse, and Wednesday offered another chapter. Hours after the Orioles named him their unanimous 2026 Most Valuable Oriole, Alonso drove a two-run homer in the fifth inning to push Baltimore past Toronto, 4-2, in the opener of a split doubleheader at Camden Yards.
The blast was Alonso’s 41st of the season and his first against Max Scherzer, the veteran right-hander who had been his Mets teammate in 2022 and 2023. Alonso came in just 4-for-25 against Scherzer, with two doubles, a walk and 12 strikeouts. This time, he supplied the decisive swing.
Baltimore remained alive in the American League Wild Card chase, though only narrowly. Its elimination number stood at one entering the nightcap. An Orioles loss in the second game against Toronto, or a White Sox victory at Kansas City, would end Baltimore’s postseason hopes.
Alonso keeps climbing Baltimore’s home run board
The homer continued an extraordinary closing run for the 31-year-old first baseman. Alonso hit two home runs in Monday’s 4-3 comeback victory over the Blue Jays, giving him three in the first two games of the series. He has nine homers in his past 18 games and 18 in 41 games since Aug. 9.
His 41 home runs place him among eight Orioles players to reach that number in a season since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954. It is the ninth 41-homer season in club history. Rafael Palmeiro’s 43 home runs in 1998 are next on Alonso’s path up the single-season list.
Alonso also entered Wednesday leading the American League with 110 RBIs, the highest total by an Oriole since Chris Davis drove in 117 runs in 2015. Houston’s Yordan Alvarez and Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero were the only other AL hitters to begin the day with 41 homers.
There is still time for Alonso to add to the ledger. He has started every Baltimore game this season and had four remaining: Wednesday’s second game against Toronto and a three-game weekend set against the Yankees in New York.
A $155 million fit in the clubhouse
The Orioles signed Alonso to a five-year, $155 million contract in December, bringing considerable expectations to a club that needed a centerpiece in the middle of its order. Alonso said he has not viewed the deal as a weight to carry.
“I’m not trying to become something else, or do more or less than what I am capable of bringing each day,” Alonso said. “There is comfort in knowing the organization believes in you as a player, but also in what you bring as a teammate and as a person.”
For Alonso, that faith has meant a simple assignment: play his game, prepare between the lines and show up for teammates every day. He described the club’s backing as a validation of what he already brings rather than a demand to become somebody different.
Manager Craig Albernaz said Alonso’s influence has extended beyond the home runs and RBI totals.
“Pete wants to compete and produce for the club, but he wants the people around him to succeed, too,” Albernaz said. “He tries to help, to bring everybody in the right direction, because the goal is winning games.”
Bassitt closes strong after injury return
Chris Bassitt gave Baltimore five-plus innings in what could be his final appearance of the season, allowing two earned runs in the Game 1 win. The 37-year-old right-hander finished his first, and potentially only, year with the Orioles having posted a 4.59 ERA across 20 games, including 18 starts.
His finish was more encouraging than the season line. After returning from a back injury in mid-August, Bassitt recorded a 3.74 ERA over his final eight outings.
For one afternoon at least, the Orioles had the formula they wanted: Bassitt giving them a chance, Alonso delivering the loudest swing, and Camden Yards holding onto October possibilities for another few hours.
