Pete Alonso Hits 40th Homer, Marks Son Teddy's 1st Birthday

Toronto still led 3-1 heading into the eighth inning, and it looked like the Orioles might drop their third straight game. Then Alonso came up again.

Foul Territory

@FoulTerritoryTV

Pete Alonso’s second homer of the night puts him at 40 on the year. 😤 (Via: @MLB)

That two-out, two-run blast off Tyler Rogers -- only the second homer Rogers has allowed all year, per Blue Jays beat writer Keegan Matheson -- turned a 3-1 deficit into a 4-3 lead the Orioles wouldn't give back. It made Alonso the 9th player in Orioles franchise history to reach 40 home runs in a season, and the first since Anthony Santander hit 44 in 2024. His 108 RBIs also lead the American League.

Keegan Matheson

@KeeganMatheson

Pete Alonso is the first Orioles player to hit 40 home runs since ... Anthony Santander. #BlueJays

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz made sure to credit the guy who set the table. Pinch hitter Christian Franklin drew a leadoff walk in the eighth before Alonso's homer, and Albernaz didn't let that get lost in the highlight.

Andy Kostka

@afkostka

Craig Albernaz praised Christian Franklin's leadoff walk in the eighth as a pinch hitter: "The Pete home run doesn't happen without his leadoff at-bat and working a walk. That was huge, to say the least. To win this league, it takes everyone."

The night had a second layer to it, too. September 21 is Teddy Alonso's first birthday, and Pete Alonso marked it by hitting two home runs in the same game his son turned one. Alonso, typically understated about this stuff, still let the moment land when asked about it afterward.

Andy Kostka

@afkostka

Pete Alonso, about his son's first birthday being marked by two homers from Dad: “Yeah, sick, yeah. 100%, it’s obviously special."

Alonso was quick to admit his son is too young to know what happened Monday night, but that's kind of the point -- it's the sort of thing that gets replayed for a kid years down the line. For now, the Orioles have their guy at 40 homers with games left to add to it, a franchise-caliber season from a player who's only just getting started in Baltimore.