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Replay Upholds Pete Alonso Foul Call After Review

8/21/2026

Summary

Alonso Foul Call

Third-base umpire Will Little ruled Pete Alonso’s seventh-inning blast foul, and a crew-chief review upheld the call.
Replay Official said video angles could not definitively show the ball clearing the foul pole, so the call stood.
Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt called the unresolved call “crazy” and urged MLB to adopt better technology.
Pete Alonso suggested installing a laser or dedicated camera at the foul pole, similar to football’s goal-line system.

Summary

Alonso 30th Homer

Orioles fell to 61-66, last in AL East, 1.5 games behind the wild-card.
Alonso hit his 30th homer, his sixth straight 30-plus-HR season.
Ben Rice launched a 447-foot, 34th homer that landed just under the Camden Yards scoreboard.
Samuel Basallo started at second and made a key diving play.
Albernaz blasted front-office chief Mike Elias, calling the roster an ‘unsound operation’.

History

Historical Context

In 2014 MLB added expanded instant-replay and rule 7.13 (“Buster Posey Rule”) to curb disputed home-run calls, following a decade-long shift toward video review in pro sports. The NFL made replay permanent in 1999 after the 1998 Jets-Seahawks error and the CFL introduced instant replay in 2006, so today’s umpire Will Little foul-ball call revives the same fairness concerns.

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Alonso Foul Call

Third-base umpire Will Little ruled Pete Alonso’s seventh-inning blast foul, and a crew-chief review upheld the call.
Replay Official said video angles could not definitively show the ball clearing the foul pole, so the call stood.
Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt called the unresolved call “crazy” and urged MLB to adopt better technology.
Pete Alonso suggested installing a laser or dedicated camera at the foul pole, similar to football’s goal-line system.

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