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Alonso's Fifth HR Off Yankees, Orioles Head to Mets Series

5/3/2026

50 11 Full Breakdown

Summary

Alonso Homers

Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso hit a second-inning home run off Yankees right-hander Will Warren on Friday.
The blast was Alonso’s fifth home run of the 2026 season.
Alonso joked that the insufferable wall of traffic proved he was back in New York City.
The Orioles will travel to Queens later this week for a three-game series against the Mets, where Alonso began his major-league career in 2019.

Summary

Yankees Win

The Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-2, their 11th win in 13 games.
Ben Rice’s three-run second-inning homer was his 11th of the season and 26th RBI.
Will Warren moved to 4-0 with a 2.39 ERA, allowing one run in 6 1/3 innings as the bullpen (Cody Bellinger, Camilo Doval, Jake Bird) delivered a three-hit shutout.
Aaron Judge logged his 900th career run and a run-scoring single in the eighth inning.

Summary

Alonso Struggles

Pete Alonso signed a $155 million Orioles deal in December after no final talk with owner Steve Cohen.
Pete Alonso only consulted teammates and manager Carlos Mendoza at his Tampa gym before signing.
The Mets gave Jorge Polanco a $40 million contract despite his first-base inexperience, then placed him on the injured list.
Through April the Mets were 10-21 while Pete Alonso’s hard-hit rate ranks in the 96th percentile of MLB hitters.

History

Historical Context

In December 2000 Alex Rodriguez signed a ten-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers, the largest MLB deal at that time. The deal followed free agency’s end of the reserve clause in the 1970s and Nolan Ryan’s first $1 million salary in 1979, driving payroll growth. It pushed teams like the New York Yankees toward the luxury-tax threshold.

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Alonso Homers

Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso hit a second-inning home run off Yankees right-hander Will Warren on Friday.
The blast was Alonso’s fifth home run of the 2026 season.
Alonso joked that the insufferable wall of traffic proved he was back in New York City.
The Orioles will travel to Queens later this week for a three-game series against the Mets, where Alonso began his major-league career in 2019.

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