This story was excerpted from Jake Rill's Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BALTIMORE -- On Wednesday afternoon, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz was asked how he had seen Pete Alonso be a leader for his team over the previous three or four days -- from the uncertain buildup to Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline, followed by the unexpected fallout.
“The last three or four days?” Albernaz replied. “Pete’s been a leader since he signed the contract here.”
Albernaz is correct. Alonso has shown tremendous leadership from the moment he inked a five-year, $155 million deal last December and reported to Spring Training early in mid-February to get acclimated to his new organization. The Polar Bear has been front and center since then.
But Tuesday in particular showed just how much of a leader Alonso has become in Baltimore.
After a difficult Trade Deadline on Monday when the O’s traded away several key players, here’s a timeline of Alonso’s actions the next day that showed his leadership skills.
Mid-afternoon: The conclusion of the team meeting
President of baseball operations Mike Elias and Albernaz addressed the players inside the Orioles’ clubhouse, expressing their belief in the club to still make a push for the postseason over the final two months of the season. Once it was over, Alonso went up to Christian Franklin, a 26-year-old outfielder acquired in an under-the-radar Deadline trade with the Nationals.
It was a tough day for many on the O’s, but it was also Franklin’s first day in the big leagues.
“Alonso, first guy to come over and tap me on my shoulder and introduce himself,” Franklin said. “Just having a veteran presence like that just made me feel at home immediately.”
It also didn’t hurt that Alonso is an eight-year MLB veteran with a big stature in the baseball world.
“I’ve been watching that guy play for a long time, and for him to come over and do that, he didn’t have to,” Franklin said. “I definitely appreciated that and definitely won’t forget that.”
Shortly after 2:30 p.m.: Meeting with the media
Within minutes of the clubhouse opening for media availability, Alonso walked into the room and told reporters to come to his locker, as the 31-year-old knew reporters would want to ask him about the standing of the club post-Deadline.
During Alonso’s response to the first question asking for his reaction to Baltimore’s semi-unexpected selling, he made sure to reference Franklin's arrival to the team.
“We’ve got Franklin making a debut today,” Alonso said. “Today, as much as it hurts losing teammates, this is a really special day for him, and I think we can’t necessarily let the mood [fall] or whatever, because we still have pieces where we can win.”
Then, Alonso used his words to both rally his teammates and show his belief in them.
“There is a world where we do turn it around and really make a step forward,” Alonso said. “We’ve got some pieces that are going to help us win now and long term.”
7:20 p.m.: A key hit leads to a needed win
As much as Alonso has led with his voice this season, he’s also been a leader with his bat.
The Orioles’ 3-1 victory over the Angels on the first day after the Deadline was a needed one, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Alonso. He snapped Baltimore’s 17-inning scoreless streak with a two-run single in the third inning, which proved to be the margin in the contest.
Entering Thursday, Alonso led the O’s in hits (106), doubles (21), home runs (23), RBIs (71), batting average (.248), slugging percentage (.459) and OPS (.801) among qualified hitters.
9:06 p.m.: The on-field MASN interview
After Tuesday’s win, Alonso was asked to do the on-field interview with MASN broadcasters Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald. First, Alonso received a question about his big hit, and he broke down his key at-bat against Halos starter Grayson Rodriguez.
But then, McDonald asked Alonso about the fan support at Camden Yards. And Alonso showed just how much he understands what the people were going through early this week with the thoughtful response that followed.
“We appreciate you guys sticking with us the whole way,” Alonso said on-air. “The fans have been awesome today. I know it’s been emotional for this city and the organization. But we’re going to keep going, and we’re going to do the best we can to win games. Keep showing out, guys, because when you guys show up, we play better. So, keep supporting us, we love you guys, thank you very much.”
It was a fitting end to a day in which Alonso proved why he’s here -- and why, if the Orioles do make a run to the postseason, he’ll be one to get a lot of credit for the performance.