IT WAS FAIR: Ravori Sports Says Pete Alonso’s Game-Winning Home Run Was Blown Call

The Baltimore Orioles lost 5-3 to the New York Yankees on Wednesday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, but the final score does not tell the entire story.

The biggest story of the night was not the Yankees' two-run eighth inning. It was Pete Alonso's seventh-inning drive down the left-field line that was ruled foul after a lengthy replay review.

Ravori Sports has a clear position: IT WAS FAIR.

Alonso appeared to give the Orioles a go-ahead home run with the game tied 3-3. The ball traveled toward the left-field foul pole, and one replay angle appeared to show the ball on the fair side of the pole. The original foul call stood after review, however, and Alonso eventually struck out to end the inning.

The Yankees then scored twice in the eighth inning and held on for a 5-3 victory.

Was the controversial call the only reason Baltimore lost? No.

Was it potentially the biggest turning point of the game?

Absolutely.

And Ravori Sports believes the ball should have been ruled fair and Pete Alonso should have been credited with a game-changing home run.

The Final Box Score

New York Yankees 5, Baltimore Orioles 3

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Yankees	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	0	5	10	0
Orioles	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	6	0

Baltimore finished with six hits and two home runs, while New York collected 10 hits and one homer. Both teams were charged with no errors.

The Yankees scored the winning runs in the eighth inning after George Lombard Jr. delivered an infield single and Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored on a Yennier Cano wild pitch.

But that eighth inning may never have happened the same way if Alonso's seventh-inning blast had been ruled a home run.

How the Game Got Here

The Orioles actually jumped on the Yankees first.

Baltimore took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Jackson Holliday stole home while Gunnar Henderson stole second on a double steal. It was an aggressive piece of baserunning that gave the Orioles an early advantage.

New York answered in the second.

Ryan McMahon's RBI single brought home Jazz Chisholm Jr., tying the game. Lombard then added a sacrifice fly to score Spencer Jones, putting the Yankees ahead 2-1.

In the third, Ben Rice crushed a 447-foot home run to right-center field, extending New York's lead to 3-1.

Then Pete Alonso answered.

Alonso launched a 423-foot home run to right-center field, cutting the deficit to 3-2. It was Alonso's 29th home run of the season and extended his hitting streak to 11 games.

That home run was significant because it showed once again why Alonso has become such an important part of the Orioles' lineup.

Dylan Beavers Ties the Game

Baltimore eventually tied the game in the sixth inning.

Dylan Beavers launched a solo home run to left-center field, tying the game at 3-3. It was Beavers' fourth homer of the season.

And suddenly, everything was set up for a dramatic finish.

The Orioles had home-field advantage.

The game was tied.

Alonso was already having a big night.

And then came the seventh inning.

The Pete Alonso Controversy

Alonso came to the plate with the score tied 3-3.

He had already homered earlier in the game.

He had already extended his hitting streak.

Now he had an opportunity to give Baltimore the lead.

He hit a deep drive toward left field.

Initially, it looked like the ball had left the yard.

Alonso reacted as though he had hit a home run.

The Orioles appeared to have taken the lead.

Then the call came:

Foul ball.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

Instead of celebrating a home run, Orioles fans were waiting for the replay.

The review became the most important moment of the game.

One replay angle appeared to show the ball on the fair side of the pole, but the available evidence was ultimately deemed insufficient to overturn the original ruling. The foul call stood.

Alonso remained at the plate.

He eventually struck out.

The inning ended with the game still tied.

And that is where Ravori Sports says the game changed.

Ravori Sports: IT WAS FAIR

Let's be very clear about the editorial position of this article.

Ravori Sports believes Pete Alonso's seventh-inning drive was fair.

We believe it should have been ruled a home run.

We believe Baltimore should have taken a 5-3 lead.

And we believe the Orioles were denied a potential game-winning home run by a blown call.

The official record says foul.

Ravori Sports says fair.

That distinction matters.

We are not claiming the umpires intentionally made the wrong decision.

We are not accusing anyone of fixing the game.

We are saying that, after reviewing the available footage and considering the circumstances, our conclusion is that the ball should have been ruled fair.

What the Box Score Doesn't Show

This is where the box score becomes misleading.

The official box score shows Pete Alonso with one home run.

It does not show the potential second home run.

It does not show the emotional reaction from Alonso.

It does not show the Orioles' dugout reacting to the call.

It does not show the crowd's reaction.

It does not show the lengthy replay review.

And it does not show the momentum Baltimore potentially lost.

The box score simply records what MLB officially decided.

That's why fans have to look beyond the numbers to understand what happened.

The Eighth Inning Changed Everything

The Yankees took advantage immediately.

Cam Sanders entered the eighth inning and ran into trouble, loading the bases with a walk and two hit batters.

Yennier Cano came into the game with two outs.

Lombard then hit a slow roller that turned into an infield single, scoring Heliot Ramos and putting New York ahead 4-3.

Then came another crushing moment for Baltimore.

Cano threw a wild pitch, allowing Chisholm Jr. to score.

Suddenly, the Yankees had a 5-3 lead.

That was the final score.

But imagine the same inning with Baltimore holding a 5-3 lead after Alonso's home run.

The Yankees would have been the team forced to play from behind.

The entire strategy and momentum of the game could have been different.

That's why the seventh-inning call matters.

Baltimore's Pitching Wasn't Blameless

It would be unfair to blame everything on the umpiring.

The Orioles had their own problems.

Chris Bassitt started for Baltimore and allowed three runs over 5⅔ innings. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out six.

The Yankees' Will Warren also had a relatively short outing, lasting four innings while allowing two runs on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

Baltimore's bullpen ultimately failed to keep the game tied in the eighth.

That is part of the story.

But it doesn't eliminate the controversy.

Both things can be true:

The Orioles needed better execution in the eighth inning, and the Alonso call can still have been wrong.

The Yankees Deserve Credit

The Yankees did what good teams do.

They took advantage of Baltimore's mistakes.

Lombard delivered the go-ahead hit.

Chisholm took advantage of the wild pitch.

The bullpen finished the job.

Brent Headrick earned the win, while David Bednar recorded his 29th save.

New York did not make the call.

The Yankees simply played the game in front of them.

That is why the frustration should remain focused on the decision and replay process rather than the opponent.

Alonso's Official Line

Alonso finished the night with one official home run.

His third-inning blast traveled an estimated 423 feet and brought Baltimore within one run.

But there is an unofficial second home run that Orioles fans will remember.

The one in the seventh.

The one that Ravori Sports believes was fair.

The one that could have changed the game.

And the one that will forever be followed by the words:

“But it was called foul.”

Baltimore Cannot Afford to Dwell on It

The Orioles have to move forward.

The Yankees now lead the series 2-0, and Baltimore has lost three straight games. The Orioles are 61-66 after Wednesday's loss, while New York improved to 71-55.

The playoff race is becoming increasingly important.

There is no time to spend several days complaining about one call.

But there is also nothing wrong with demanding accountability.

Baltimore can acknowledge its own mistakes while still questioning a controversial ruling.

In fact, that is exactly what should happen.

Final Thoughts

The final box score says:

Yankees 5, Orioles 3.

New York had 10 hits.

Baltimore had six.

The Yankees scored twice in the eighth.

The Orioles were held scoreless in the final three innings.

Those numbers are official.

But the story of this game is bigger than the numbers.

The story is Pete Alonso.

The story is the seventh inning.

The story is a ball traveling toward the left-field pole.

The story is an initial foul call.

The story is a replay review that failed to overturn it.

And the story is what happened afterward.

Ravori Sports says IT WAS FAIR.

We believe Pete Alonso hit a game-winning home run that should have put the Orioles ahead.

Maybe Baltimore still could have lost.

Maybe the Yankees would have come back anyway.

Maybe the Orioles' bullpen would have struggled regardless.

We will never know.

That's the frustrating part.

The Orioles never got the opportunity to find out.

The official box score will forever record the Yankees' 5-3 victory.

But for Ravori Sports and many Orioles fans, the most memorable statistic from this game will not be the five Yankees runs or Baltimore's six hits.

It will be the home run that wasn't counted.

Pete Alonso's ball was fair.

Ravori Sports says the call was blown.

And that is the story that Birdland will be talking about long after the final out.