The Yankees are going to see Pete Alonso a lot more this season now that he’s in Baltimore, and the former Met didn’t take long in 2026 to vex his former cross-town rivals.
In the spring opener for both the Bombers and O’s Friday, Alonso’s two-run homer off Bradley Wanner was all the offense the Orioles needed in a x-x win over the Yankees in Sarasota.
Top prospect Elmer Rodriguez got the spring off to a strong start, allowing just three hits and striking out one over three strong innings, and potential bullpen options Jake Bird and Kervin Castro allowed a baserunner each in their innings of work but kept Baltimore off the board through five.
Unfortunately, the Yankees had just one hit through six innings, that being Jazz Chisholm’s two-out single in the first, and five Baltimore hurlers held them to that hit and just two walks (one by Chisholm, one by Kenedy Corona) through six.
In the bottom of that frame, Wanner allowed a leadoff single to Jeremiah Jackson, and two batters later, the Polar Bear crushed an 0-2 curveball well over the left field wall at Ed Smith Stadium for his first big fly as a Bird.
Carson Coleman threw a 1-2-3 seventh and Dylan Coleman a scoreless ninth, but the Yankees mustered just two singles over the final three innings to end the spring opener on the down side of the ledger.
The Yankees will open their home spring slate at George M.
Steinbrenner Field on Saturday.