CINCINNATI -- Fourth of July baseball always brings a palpable buzz. That was especially the case Saturday night in Cincinnati, where 33,047 fans packed Great American Ball Park to witness the 2026 debut of Reds right-hander Hunter Greene, one of MLB’s most electric starters in recent years.
But the Orioles were amped up, too. Before the game, Pete Alonso donned American flag-themed shorts in the clubhouse and told multiple people, “Happy Fourth.” The TV was playing “Rocky II,” and the music playlist featured plenty of patriotic tunes, including John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
And Alonso especially couldn’t wait for the postgame fireworks show, remembering it from 2022, when his Mets spent the holiday in this same ballpark.
“I was here, and they just put on an absolutely spectacular firework display,” Alonso said. “I’m like, ‘Man, I can’t wait to go back.’”
The upbeat energy for the semiquincentennial translated to offensive fireworks during the game.
The O’s lineup put together an impressive showing, spoiling Greene’s start by tagging the 26-year-old for eight runs en route to an 8-5 victory. It was Baltimore’s best offensive performance since a 12-1 win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles on June 21.
By winning a third consecutive game for the seventh time, the Orioles (42-48) will have an opportunity to push their streak to a season-high four if they can sweep the Reds on Sunday.
Baltimore’s bats got going early, as Samuel Basallo belted a Statcast-projected 406-foot three-run home run in the top of the first. The 21-year-old rookie’s blast came off a 100.4 mph fastball by Greene, the second-hardest pitch an O’s hitter has homered against in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). (Adley Rutschman went deep off a 100.8 mph pitch from then-Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks on Sept. 17, 2023.)
It was Basallo’s 14th homer of the season and his second in as many days in Cincinnati.
“He has a really special chance, with his talent, to do a lot of incredible things in this game,” Alonso said of Basallo. “There’s no ceiling for him. It’ll be interesting to see how he keeps progressing. His leaps and bounds have been tremendous this year.”
But the Reds quickly responded. They scored a run in the first on Eugenio Suárez’s RBI single, then plated three more against O’s starter Brandon Young in the second. Elly De La Cruz’s one-out RBI single gave Cincinnati a 4-3 lead.
The decisive rally, however, came in the fourth, when the Orioles loaded the bases with no outs. Blaze Alexander put Baltimore back in front, 5-4, with a two-run single. Then, Rutschman -- who was named an All-Star for the third time during the game -- pushed the advantage to 7-4 with a two-run double down the right-field line that ended Greene’s night.
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“Hunter Greene is a really good pitcher with a really great heater,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “We just made him work. Our guys did a really good job of forcing him into the strike zone and not giving in to the pitches that were off the plate.”
“Kudos to the team for putting some runs on the board and playing some really good defense. Couldn’t have done it without them,” Young added. “It’s sick. It’s awesome.”
Alonso capped the five-run frame with a two-out RBI single. The 31-year-old was at the heart of the O’s 10-hit offensive attack, reaching in all five of his plate appearances -- walking in the first and seventh, singling in the third and fourth and doubling in the ninth.
As things stand, Rutschman is set to be the only player representing the Orioles at the All-Star Game. But that could change as MLB names replacements for injured players and starting pitchers who won’t be able to appear due to their schedules.
So Alonso could still get a nod. The five-time All-Star is hitting .254 with 16 doubles and an .819 OPS, while leading the team in home runs (19) and RBIs (60) and playing stellar defense at first base.
“It’s always an honor,” Alonso said. “But I’m just calling a spade a spade -- there’s a bunch of other more deserving first basemen.”
On this night, whether Alonso will get back to the Midsummer Classic wasn’t his primary concern. He was thrilled that the Orioles won. And, of course, that he then got to take in those highly anticipated fireworks with his loved ones.
“My parents are from Ohio, and I know that they take fireworks really seriously here in the Buckeye State,” Alonso said. “So, we were in for a treat."