Pete Alonso hit a 443-foot home run to left field off Freddy Peralta in the sixth inning on Friday, lifting the Baltimore Orioles over the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3. The win, combined with a New York Yankees victory, cut Tampa Bay's lead in the AL East to just three games.
According to Yahoo Sports, the Rays had taken a 3-1 lead after a three-run second inning. Junior Caminero started the rally with a double, and Kenny Piper capped it with a two-run shot. But Baltimore answered immediately. Dylan Beavers hit a solo homer in the bottom of the second to keep the Orioles within striking distance.
The game turned in the fifth inning. Peralta hit Coby Mayo to lead off, Colton Cowser singled, and a throwing error put both runners in scoring position. Jackson Holliday lifted a sacrifice fly to tie the game at three. With two outs and the score still knotted, Peralta threw Alonso a 2-2 fastball low but down the middle. Alonso drove it 443 feet to left, giving Baltimore the lead for good.
Trevor Rogers held the lead the rest of the way, completing seven innings. Andrew Kittredge and Rico Garcia closed out the eighth and ninth without incident.
The Orioles entered the night at 62-67 after being swept by the Yankees. The Rays fell to 76-52.
Elsewhere Friday, the Boston Red Sox beat the San Francisco Giants 6-4 in a game that carried its own storyline. Rafael Devers, traded away in a midseason deal last year, returned to Fenway Park for the first time since leaving. He received a mix of cheers and boos. Devers did manage a solo home run in the fourth inning, but the Giants lost despite his effort.
Logan Webb fell apart in the third inning. Willson Contreras launched a three-run homer with two outs to give Boston the lead. Webb then gave up a pair of singles, a walk to Andruw Monasterio, and two hit batters to push across two more runs. Boston scored five in the inning and held on from there.
The Yankees continued their recent surge, winning their fifth straight game with a victory over Toronto. Cam Schlittler was not sharp but fought through six innings of one-run ball, and an early crooked number was enough to hold up.
