Orioles’ Pete Alonso calls for ‘simple fix’ after foul pole drama in loss to Yankees

In the seventh inning of the Baltimore Orioles’ 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday, there was controversy on whether or not Pete Alonso hit a home run that would have given them the lead at that juncture of the game. Alonso hit a ball towards the stands in left field, but there was some confusion as to which side of the foul pole it left the park in.

In the end, the umpires ruled Alonso’s long ball foul, and the replay review backed up their on-field decision. The game between the Orioles and the Yankees remained tied at 3-3, and Alonso, after returning to the plate, proceeded to strike out. Baltimore would not score again on the night.

For Alonso, he believes that MLB should utilize some sort of technology to remove the responsibility of making that call from the umpires.

“We have Hawk-Eye. Like, football, you have the pylon camera with the plane where it shoots right across the goal line. And I feel like, for us, we could easily have a laser or a camera that shoots straight up. … I think having a camera or laser shooting straight up, we have all the technology, analytics and whatever and funds. I don’t see why we can’t do it,” Alonso said, per Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun.

Alonso did say that the different dimensions across 30 unique ballparks in MLB might make it difficult to implement the use of such technology. But at the end of the day, the Orioles still bear responsibility for how they respond to adversity, and they crumbled on Wednesday against the Yankees.

“Obviously, it sucks for us. It sucks, yeah. It sucks. But it is what it is. The umpire made the call on the field, and the review room stood with that call, and that’s what we have to live with and move on. We have to, as a team and individually, bear down and respond to adversity,” Alonso added.