Alonso Hits 40th Homer, a Go-Ahead Two-Run Shot in the 8th, as Baltimore Wins 4-3

Baltimore's Alonso reached 40 home runs for the season with a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th. It is his first 40-homer season in 3 years, and the team closed out a 4-3 win.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-Line Summary

Baltimore beat Toronto 4-3 on Sept. 21, turning Alonso's 2-homer game into a win.
His 40th of the season was a go-ahead two-run shot off Tyler Rogers with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th.
It is his first 40-homer season in 3 years since hitting 46 in 2023, and the fourth 40-homer season of Alonso's career.

Two outs in the bottom of the 8th. Baltimore was trailing, and Alonso stepped to the plate. On the mound was Tyler Rogers, a submarine-style pitcher known for his extremely low release point. The ball cleared the fence and the scoreboard flipped to 4-3. According to MLB Gameday records, Baltimore finished its home game against Toronto on Sept. 21 local time with that 4-3 score. In Korean time, it was Sept. 22.

Alonso's 40th Homer: 1st-Inning Solo + 8th-Inning Go-Ahead Two-Run Shot, 2 Hits in 4 At-Bats, 3 RBIs

There were signs from the start. According to The Banner, Alonso hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 1st and hit his second in the bottom of the 8th, seven innings later. MLB.com reported that his 40th of the season was a go-ahead two-run homer with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th. His line for the day was 4 at-bats, 2 hits, 2 home runs, 3 RBIs. Three of the team's 4 runs came off Alonso's bat. However, the detailed batting line comes from a single CBS Sports report and has not been cross-checked.

According to Baseball Savant, after hitting 46 home runs in 2023, Alonso stayed at 34 in 2024 and 38 in 2025. He had fallen 2 short of 40 from 38. This is his fourth 40-homer season of his career (2019, 2022, 2023, 2026), and the fact that it came in his first year after joining Baltimore adds weight to the milestone. In terms of franchise history, he is the 9th player to reach 40 home runs.

American League Home Run Standings: Tied for 2nd, 1 Behind Caminero's 41

With his 40th homer of the season, Alonso closed to within 1 of the home run lead. According to MLB's official batting standings (viewed Sept. 22, 2026, 15:00 KST), Alonso is not yet in first place.

Rank	Player	HR	Team
1	Junior Caminero	41	TB
2	Pete Alonso	40	BAL
2	Jordan Alvarez	40	HOU
4	Ben Rice	39	NYY

He is behind the leader by 1 home run, and 1 ahead of fourth place as well. It is a gap that a single game could reshuffle. He is the one chasing in home runs, but RBIs tell a different story. The Banner reported that after the game, Alonso was first in the American League with 108 RBIs. In December 2025, Baltimore signed Alonso to a 5-year, $155 million contract. His base salary for 2026 is $18.5 million, with a separate $12.5 million signing bonus, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

Season Home Run Totals Differ: StatMuse Shows 38, Official Sources Show 40

Readers who looked up the stat pages themselves may have seen different numbers. At the time of viewing, StatMuse showed 38 home runs for the season and 302 for his career, reflecting only games through the previous one, while the official MLB profile and Baseball Savant, which included this game, showed 40 home runs and 304 for his career. Neither service has explained why the two figures differ. This article uses the latest official figures. Please note that the official stat pages do not display a publication date, so the figures reflect what was viewed on Sept. 22, 2026, and the home run standings table was likewise viewed at 15:00 KST on the same day.

One go-ahead two-run shot changed both the result of the game and a personal record. After the game, Alonso brought up his walk-up song. He said he had changed it to mark his son's first birthday, and put it this way: "It's his birthday song."

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When and in what situation did Alonso hit his 40th home run?

It was a go-ahead two-run homer off Tyler Rogers with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th against Toronto on Sept. 21, 2026, local time. The homer put Baltimore ahead 4-3, and the game ended that way.

Q. What is Alonso's salary?

His base salary for the 2026 season is $18.5 million, with a separate $12.5 million signing bonus. The contract he signed with Baltimore in December 2025 is worth $155 million over 5 years, an average of $31 million per year.

Q. Where does Alonso rank in American League home runs?

As of the standings viewed Sept. 22, 2026, 15:00 KST, he is tied for 2nd with 40. First place belongs to Junior Caminero (TB) with 41, and Alonso shares 2nd place with Jordan Alvarez (HOU).

Related Official Sites

Baltimore Orioles Official Website — Check the team schedule and game results
MLB Official Player Stats for Alonso — Original season and career figures
MLB Official American League Home Run Standings — Check the home run title race standings
MLB Official Game Results — Inning-by-inning record of the Sept. 21 game

Lead image · Archive photo · Not a scene photo from the game in this article · Photo: Flickr (slgckgc), CC BY 2.0