Pete Alonso Hits Milestone Home Run as Orioles Edge Out Mets in Extra Innings

Alonso returns to haunt Mets

Pete Alonso made history on Tuesday night, hitting his 300th career home run against his former team. Alonso, who joined the Baltimore Orioles last December after hitting 264 home runs for the New York Mets, had been struggling in the series. He was hitless in his first seven plate appearances before stepping up in the ninth inning.

With the Orioles trailing, Alonso launched a 414-foot solo home run off Kodai Senga to tie the game at 3-3. The crowd of 28,097 at Citi Field cheered their former star, who came out of the dugout for a curtain call. However, the mood quickly turned as fans began chanting against Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns.

After the game, Alonso met with the three Mets fans who caught the historic ball. He traded signed bats, balls, and jerseys for the home run ball, and even offered them tickets to future games in Baltimore.

Late drama in extra innings

The game went into extra innings, where both teams traded runs. In the 10th inning, Christian Encarnacion-Strand scored for the Orioles on a wild pitch, but Marcus Semien hit an RBI double to level the score again for the Mets.

The decisive moment came in the 11th inning. With two outs, Coby Mayo hit a three-run inside-the-park home run off Mets pitcher Jonathan Pintaro. Mayo hit a deep drive to center field that bounced off rookie fielder A.J. Ewing's glove as he hit the fence. The ball rolled away, allowing Mayo to run all the way home to make it 7-4.

The Mets tried to fight back in the bottom of the 11th. Bo Bichette hit an RBI single, but Andrew Kittredge held on to secure his 10th save of the season. Alex Hoppe earned the win, while Pintaro took the loss.

Playoff hopes and losing seasons

The 7-5 victory keeps the Orioles' playoff hopes alive. Baltimore now sits at 74-78, remaining three games behind Cleveland for the final American League playoff spot. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Jeremiah Jackson also hit home runs for the Orioles.

For the Mets, the defeat marks their third loss in a row, confirming a losing season with a 69-82 record. Carson Benge hit a home run for the Mets, while Jared Young and Juan Soto also drove in runs. The Mets had already been eliminated from playoff contention after a 2-1 loss on Monday.