Orioles Split Doubleheader With Yankees as Alonso, Beavers Power Game 1 Rout
The Baltimore Orioles split Friday’s doubleheader against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, dominating the opener 10-2 before dropping the nightcap 6-3. Baltimore’s offense put on a power display in Game 1 behind Pete Alonso and Dylan Beavers, but the Orioles could not carry that momentum into the second game.
The split moved the Orioles to 79-82 and guaranteed Baltimore will finish the 2026 season with a losing record. Still, Friday provided another look at some of the young talent the Orioles hope can play a significant role moving forward, particularly Beavers, who homered in both games of the doubleheader.
Game 1: Orioles 10, Yankees 2
Baltimore’s bats overwhelmed New York in the opener, with Alonso continuing his remarkable power surge and Beavers delivering the biggest swing of his young career. Alonso blasted two home runs to reach 43 for the season and move into the American League home run lead. His second homer traveled an estimated 471 feet into the left-field bleachers and helped turn the opener into a rout.
Alonso opened his day with a solo homer off Yankees rookie Brendan Beck in the third inning. The blast continued an unusual streak for Alonso, as seven consecutive hits had left the ballpark. He later singled before launching his massive second homer in the seventh, giving Baltimore a 9-1 advantage.
Alonso’s performance also pushed his RBI total to 113, tying St. Louis’ Alec Burleson for the Major League lead. According to MLB, Alonso is attempting to join Frank Robinson and Chris Davis as the only Orioles since the franchise moved to Baltimore in 1954 to lead the American League in both home runs and RBIs.
The Orioles broke the game open with a five-run fourth inning. Beavers delivered the crushing blow by launching the first grand slam of his Major League career into the right-field seats, extending Baltimore’s advantage to 7-0. It was Baltimore’s sixth grand slam of the season and another encouraging moment for the young outfielder.
Baltimore was not finished producing memorable home runs. Jeremiah Jackson added an inside-the-park homer in the sixth inning after his drive got past Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones near the warning track. Jackson raced around the bases and beat the throw home, giving the Orioles their second inside-the-park homer of the season.
Gunnar Henderson, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Colton Cowser and Christian Franklin each recorded two hits as Baltimore consistently pressured New York pitching. Beck surrendered seven runs on six hits over five innings as the Orioles built an advantage the Yankees never seriously threatened.
Trevor Rogers started for Baltimore and worked four innings, allowing one run on five hits. Albert Suárez followed him with four innings and earned the victory, improving to 3-0. New York’s offense managed little against Baltimore until the outcome was largely decided.
The 10-2 victory was one of Baltimore’s most complete offensive performances of the closing stretch of the season. Between Alonso’s two homers, Beavers’ grand slam and Jackson’s inside-the-park homer, the Orioles combined established power with contributions from players who could be part of the club’s future.
Game 2: Yankees 6, Orioles 3
The nightcap was much different. Baltimore starter Brandon Young kept the Orioles within striking distance, but New York eventually broke through against the bullpen and took advantage of a difficult defensive sixth inning on its way to a 6-3 victory.
Young allowed only one run on two hits over five innings while striking out six and walking three. The right-hander departed with Baltimore trailing 1-0, giving the Orioles an opportunity to rally. Instead, the Yankees scored three times in the sixth and opened a 4-0 advantage.
Defense contributed to Baltimore’s problems. With two runners aboard and one out, Jones hit a fly ball to right that Rece Hinds misplayed, allowing a run to score. Anthony Volpe later drove a ball down the right-field line that got beyond Hinds and bounced into the stands for a two-run automatic double, pushing New York’s advantage to four runs.
The nightcap was especially difficult for Hinds, who went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts. Baltimore as a team had major problems making contact, with Yankees pitchers piling up 17 strikeouts in the game. Will Warren was particularly effective out of New York’s bullpen, recording seven strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings.
Baltimore finally broke through in the seventh. Leody Taveras brought home a run with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, but the Yankees answered with RBI singles from Heliot Ramos and Luis García Jr. to extend their advantage to 6-1.
The Orioles continued fighting in the ninth. Taveras doubled home another run before Beavers launched a solo homer to right field, his ninth of the season and second homer of the doubleheader. The 368-foot shot cut the deficit to 6-3, but Baltimore’s comeback ended there.
Taveras finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Franklin went 2-for-5 and finished the doubleheader with four hits. Yohel Pozo also singled and stole his first base of the season. Young took the loss and fell to 9-6 despite giving Baltimore five solid innings.
Beavers Makes His Mark
While Alonso’s performance was the headline of Game 1, Beavers put together one of the more encouraging days of his rookie season. His first career grand slam helped blow open the opener, and he followed it by homering again in the ninth inning of Game 2.
Those swings gave Beavers two home runs and five RBIs across the doubleheader. For a Baltimore team evaluating younger players as the season comes to a close, performances like Friday’s give the organization another significant data point heading toward the offseason.
Alonso Continues Historic Power Push
Alonso’s season has also become one of the major stories surrounding the Orioles heading into the final weekend. His two-homer opener gave him 43 home runs, putting him atop the American League at the end of Friday’s action, while his 113 RBIs put him among baseball’s leaders.
Baltimore acquired Alonso for exactly this kind of middle-of-the-order production, and his late-season power surge has provided plenty of offense even with the Orioles outside the postseason picture. The 471-foot blast in the opener was the fourth-longest home run hit in Major League Baseball this season.
MSB Take
Friday’s doubleheader showed two very different versions of the Orioles. Game 1 featured explosive power, productive at-bats throughout the lineup and enough pitching to cruise to a 10-2 victory. Game 2 featured many of the problems that have hurt Baltimore this season — strikeouts, defensive mistakes and an inability to capitalize when the starting pitcher kept the game close.
The biggest positive was Beavers. A grand slam in Game 1 followed by another homer in Game 2 is exactly the type of performance Baltimore wants to see from one of its young players during the final days of the season. Alonso’s pursuit of the American League home run and RBI leads also gives Orioles fans something significant to follow through the finish.
The Orioles did not get the sweep, but taking one game at Yankee Stadium while getting major contributions from Alonso and Beavers made the doubleheader worthwhile. Baltimore now heads into the final games of 2026 looking to finish strongly and continue evaluating which pieces should be part of the club’s plans for 2027.
