BALTIMORE -- Pete Alonso’s first big Orioles hit came Sunday afternoon at Camden Yards.
The Polar Bear knocked a go-ahead RBI single with an impressive piece of hitting in the bottom of the seventh inning, sparking a three-run rally that sent Baltimore to an 8-6 win over Minnesota in the series finale at Camden Yards. Alonso reached base three times (2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a walk) in helping the O’s (2-1) secure a season-opening series victory.
The game was tied at 5 when Alonso stepped up to face Twins right-hander Mick Abel after the bottom of the seventh began with a single from Taylor Ward and a walk by Gunnar Henderson.
After fouling off Abel’s first pitch, Alonso took the next three pitches -- a pair of balls and a called strike that was overturned to a ball after the 31-year-old slugger used an ABS challenge for the first time. Alonso then took one more offering, a 95.5 mph four-seam fastball that caught the outside of the strike zone and ran the count full.
At that point, Alonso was ready to take the bat off his shoulder -- even though Abel’s 3-2 pitch was a sinker so far outside that it was in the opposite batter’s box. Nonetheless, Alonso connected and sent a 70.1 mph flare over the head of a leaping Luke Keaschall at second base into shallow right-center field, plating Ward from second and giving the Orioles a 6-5 lead.
Adley Rutschman followed with a pinch-hit RBI double and Coby Mayo added an RBI single to pad the advantage for Baltimore, which came back to win after trailing 4-0 in the second.