The Polar Bear was in uncharted territory on Friday night.
Pete Alonso had played in 1,129 major league games before Friday night, not once had he been penciled into the leadoff spot. Not in the minor leagues, college or at any point before in his career.
So when Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz put Alonso at the top of the lineup Friday night against Tampa Bay, there was at least one person who didn't seem particularly bothered by how unusual it looked.
“First time for everything,” Alonso said before the game, via MASN. “Why not?”
The move made sense within the context of what Tampa Bay was doing on the mound. The Rays were using Steven Matz as an opener before turning the game over to a series of other pitchers, and Baltimore wanted a right-handed bat at the top to start the night.
Albernaz has already shown a willingness to get creative with that spot against left-handed pitching, using Coby Mayo and Christian Franklin there earlier this month. Alonso was simply the latest experiment, and the 31-year-old didn't sound interested in treating it like anything more than that.
If anything, he had a comparison ready.
“I’m like Schwarber-adjacent,” Alonso said, referring to Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. “I guess I can be the right-handed Schwarber.”
The comparison isn't as strange as it might have sounded a decade ago. The traditional leadoff hitter was usually expected to get on base, run well and create opportunities for the middle of the order. Teams have become much more comfortable putting their best hitters at the top, particularly when the goal is simply to get those bats as many plate appearances as possible.
Alonso fits that thinking for Baltimore.
Entering Friday, he owned the highest OPS on the Orioles at .833 while hitting 26 home runs with 77 RBIs and 74 runs scored. He has also quietly been one of the more consistent offensive pieces on a team that has had trouble finding production elsewhere.
Albernaz told reporters before the game that maximizing Alonso's at-bats was part of the reasoning. The other was the simple fact that Baltimore liked the matchup.
That didn't mean Alonso suddenly needed to become a different kind of hitter.
He wasn't going to start bunting. He wasn't going to turn himself into a speed-first player because his name appeared in a different spot on the lineup card.
“Absolutely not,” Alonso said when asked if he might square around. “I don’t think I’m going to bunt in a Major League game.”
The first result wasn't exactly what a leadoff hitter dreams about. Matz struck Alonso out to begin the game. But Alonso settled in from there, finishing 2-for-5 with two singles as Baltimore beat Tampa Bay 6-5.
Alonso didn't need to hit differently to handle the spot. Baltimore simply gave him the opportunity to start the game, and he responded by doing what has made him one of the team's better offensive players all season.
Whether it becomes a recurring look remains to be seen. But after one night, the Orioles at least know Alonso doesn't seem particularly interested in making the experiment complicated.
If Baltimore wants its best hitters taking more swings, Alonso is perfectly comfortable being first in line.
