Orioles’ Albernaz won’t stop Alonso’s consecutive games streak as it nears 500

BALTIMORE—Pete Alonso is in the lineup for the Orioles, as he always is. Alonso has played in each of the Orioles’ 71 games, and with Saturday’s start, he’ll have played in 488 consecutive games. If Alonso’s streak continues for two more weeks, he’ll become the 41^st player in baseball history to play 500 consecutive games.

Barring injury or a rainout, the 500^th game would be on June 27th against Washington.

Alonso’s streak began on June 18^th, 2023 when he was with the New York Mets after he missed eight games when Atlanta’s Charlie Morton hit him with a pitch that sprained his left wrist.

Manager Craig Albernaz has no plans to halt the consecutive games streak by giving him a rest day.

“If Pete Alonso is in the lineup for 162 games, that’s a great thing,” Albernaz said. “There’s no stopping, whatever it dictates.”

Five-hundred consecutive games isn’t a big deal for the Orioles since Cal Ripken Jr. played in a record 2.632 games.

Miguel Tejada, who played the fifth-most consecutive games, 1,152, was with the Orioles for much of that streak, which ended on June 21^st, 2007, when he was in his fourth season with the Orioles. Tejada’s streak began on June 2^nd, 2000 when he with the Oakland Athletics.

“With all our guys, we communicate, see how the bodies are, how they feel,” Albernaz said. “Every single day, he’s been saying all the right things and feeling good.”

Alonso doesn’t have the longest current consecutive games streak. Atlanta’s Matt Olson played in his 852^st straight game on Friday, ninth most in history.

Orioles-Padres lineups

Orioles

Taylor Ward-DH

Gunnar Henderson-SS

Pete Alonso-1B

Samuel Basallo-C

Leody Taveras-CF

Colton Cowser-LF

Tyler O’Neill-RF

Jackson Holliday-2B

Blaze Alexander-3B

Trey Gibson-RHP

Padres

Fernando Tatis Jr.-2B

Jackson Merrill-CF

Manny Machado-3B

Xander Bogaerts-SS

Gavin Sheets-1B

Samad Taylor-LF

Will Wagner-DH

Jase Bowne-RF

Freddy Fermin-C

Randy Vásquez-RHP

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