In a dramatic night at Baltimore’s ballpark, the Orioles edged the New York Mets 7‑5 in 11 innings. The decisive moment came when rookie Coby Mayo turned a routine fly ball into an inside‑the‑park home run in the bottom of the 11th.
Alonso’s milestone homer
Pete Alonso, now with the Orioles after a high‑profile free‑agent signing last December, marked his 300th career home run with a 414‑foot solo shot off Mets starter Kodai Senga. The blast tied the game at three runs apiece in the ninth inning, giving the former Mets slugger a memorable return to Citi Field.
Alonso’s celebration was unmistakable – he spiked his bat toward the Orioles dugout and rounded the bases as the crowd of 28,097 roared. Fans chanted his name, and after his curtain call, chants shifted toward Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns.
Mayo’s inside‑the‑park heroics
With the game deadlocked at four‑all in the 11th, Mayo faced a 0‑2 count from Mets reliever Jonathan Pintaro. He drove the ball deep to center field, where rookie A.J. Ewing’s glove glanced the ball as he crashed into the fence. The ball rolled away, allowing Mayo to sprint around the bases and score while standing upright.
The inside‑the‑park homer proved the winning run, giving the Orioles a two‑run lead they would hold for the final out.
Other key contributions
Christian Encarnacion‑Strand and Jeremiah Jackson also added home runs for Baltimore, helping the team stay within striking distance throughout the game. The Orioles’ bullpen secured the victory as Andrew Kittredge recorded his 10th save, retiring the side after a two‑out RBI single by Bo Bichette.
For the Mets, Carson Benge homered, Jared Young delivered a sacrifice fly, and Juan Soto contributed an RBI single, but the loss marked their third straight defeat and confirmed a losing season.
Looking ahead
The Orioles (74‑78) remain three games behind Cleveland for the final American League playoff spot. Their next challenge is a series finale on Wednesday, with right‑hander Chris Bassitt (7‑5, 4.88 ERA) slated to start against Mets left‑hander Robert Stock (1‑3, 5.93 ERA).
Both clubs will look to build on the night’s performances as the regular season winds down, with Baltimore hoping to close the gap in the AL race and New York aiming to salvage pride after a disappointing stretch.
Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.
