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NEW YORK — There was a show on Tuesday night more captivating than anything on Broadway, and it occurred at Citi Field.
The Orioles won a crazy contest against the New York Mets, 7-5, in extra innings. To get there, they needed longtime Mets favorite Pete Alonso to hit his 300th career homer in the ninth inning — earning a curtain call in the process — before Coby Mayo belted a three-run, inside-the park homer in the 11th.
It was a wild ride, and it helps maintain the Orioles’ slim dreams at an October run.
“We’re fighting for our lives, and they know it,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “But also, they’re going out there with a clear mind and know that they have to take care of the game in front of them. It’s just fun to see them go out there, compete, not give in, not give up and take it down into the ninth. I’m proud to lead these guys. But those guys in the clubhouse, they’re a special group.”
Long before the two home runs of vastly different styles, there was a major injury concern for Baltimore’s starting pitcher who has turned out, seemingly, OK.
Right-hander Shane Baz took the full brunt of a 105.1-mph line drive off the bat of Bo Bichette. It hit Baz on his right elbow and he was in immediate pain.
X-rays after the game came back negative for a fracture, though, and Baz was optimistic he won’t miss any time.
“It just kind of got me right in the bone,” he said. “Kind of just went numb. Really wished I could have stayed in and been able to grind thought it. Just couldn’t really grip the ball. I think if I had maybe a few more minutes, I could have been all right, I was kind of just playing it safe.”
Baz tried to throw one warmup pitch and sailed it to the backstop, which prompted his removal from the game with no outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Left-hander Grant Wolfram entered and threw a scoreless inning.
“The ball just kind of slipped out of my hand on that warmup. I just didn’t have full feeling back yet,” Baz said.
At the time of Baz’s departure, the New York Mets were leading, 3-2. Baltimore wound up coming back to beat New York after Alonso’s blasted his 300th career home run to force extra innings.
And once there, Mayo hit a three-run, inside-the-park home run to put Baltimore ahead. It was an insane moment in an insane game — a pitching injury, Alonso’s historic blast, Mayo’s inside-the-parker to the deepest part of center field, which eluded A.J. Ewing’s leap and deflected into no-man’s land.
Still, because the Guardians won, Baltimore remains three games back of the final American League wild-card spot with 10 games remaining.
“We’re in a postseason push right now and all these games are important for us coming down the road and we’re playing some really important games right now,” Alonso said. “Doesn’t matter who we’re playing; it’s really, really important coming down the stretch for us. We want to be in October, and all these games count.”
Given Baz’s shortened start, the two innings left-hander Luis De León gave the Orioles were significant. The rookie, called up at the beginning of September, was a starter throughout his time in the minors. He has that length in him, although Baltimore shortened his outings in August to prepare him for a relief role this month.
The 23-year-old’s scoreless sixth and seventh innings lowered his ERA to 2.45 in his first six appearances.
The next three relievers kept the game close, and that allowed Alonso to play hero in the ninth. And after the Orioles and Mets each scored in the 10th, Mayo provided a sizable lead.
He blasted a ball at 106.9 mph and Ewing almost caught it. As Ewing and the ball collided with the wall, though, Mayo kept chugging. He never stopped.
“I’ve had a few triples this year, and every time I tell [third base coach] Buck [Britton], ‘Just send me, screw it,’” Mayo said. “But, no, obviously, I knew the ball kicked after it kind of hit him. It’s a big outfield, so you know there’s going to be some room to run, and looking at Buck, he sent me home. I almost tripped a little bit. I got the rubber legs. But I was super happy to be able to do that.”
It marked the first Orioles inside-the-park homer since 2023, when Jorge Mateo did it. Mayo thinks that was the first inside-the-park homer in his life.
From there, right-hander Andrew Kittredge earned the save in the bottom of the 11th, capping a wonderfully weird night in the Big Apple under the lights.
“Really good team baseball game, and for us, doesn’t matter how,” Alonso said. “We’re playing for a lot here. We’re playing for a spot in October. We’re on the outside looking in, and however we can get the job done, that’s what it takes.”
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