NEW YORK — Pete Alonso made history in his first season in Baltimore, becoming the first player in MLB history to win an RBI title in both leagues. The 31-year-old slugger led the American League with 113 RBIs for the Orioles this season after leading the National League with 131 RBIs for the Mets in 2022. RBIs have been an official stat since 1920, and it took 106 years for the feat to happen.
Alonso was the AL's clear top run producer. No other player in the league had more than 106 RBIs, with Houston's Yordan Alvarez (106) and Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero (101) the only other AL players to reach 100. After signing a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles this past December, Alonso played all 161 games — Sunday's Orioles-Yankees regular-season finale was cancelled due to rain — extending his streak to three consecutive years playing every game. He also led the AL in home runs with 43, finishing ahead of Alvarez and Caminero, who each slugged 42, while hitting .267 with 24 doubles and an .885 OPS. Alonso became the sixth player to win a home run crown in both leagues, joining Shohei Ohtani, Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff, Sam Crawford and Buck Freeman.
Teammates were highly impressed by what they saw all season. "His year has been unbelievable," shortstop Gunnar Henderson said. "You just laugh every time he hits a homer now. It's so cool to watch. It's so fun to be a part of and to be on the team with him. He's been just awesome to have around, and really looking forward to playing with him for many years." Left-hander Trevor Rogers added, "He could very well be a Hall of Famer when it's all said and done. The fact that I played with him and saw how he went about his business every day, it's special."
For Alonso, the individual numbers were secondary. The Orioles finished 79-82 and missed the postseason, failing to reach the playoffs for the second consecutive year. "I just want to leave it all out there," Alonso said. "I really love playing the game, and for me, I just want to be all I can be and do whatever I can every single night to win the game, you know? I really take pride in wanting to win and giving it all I have."
Next season, his focus is on leading Baltimore deeper into October. The power production is established. Now the goal is team success.