Orioles' Pete Alonso shares heartwarming reason behind new jersey number

The Baltimore Orioles made a big splash, signing Pete Alonso on the final day of the MLB Winter Meetings to a massive $155 million contract over the next five years.

Coming just short on Kyle Schwarber's market, Baltimore quickly pivoted to Alonso and now has a slugger for the next five seasons to comprise a star-studded lineup.

Alonso will wear the number 25 for the Orioles, and in a video shared by the Orioles social media team, the new first baseman shared the heartwarming reason behind his new jersey number with the Orioles.

Orioles' Pete Alonso shares heartwarming reason behind No.25 jersey

"So 2025 is such a special year for me and my family, because we welcomed our son into the world in the year 2025. So, I chose 25 because of him."

The meaning behind the number ☺️ pic.twitter.com/E1VvmTKx1j

This uniform for Alonso holds a special meaning to him and his family, as it represents the year he and his family welcomed their son into the world. It's a switch for Alonso from his Mets number, and there's a great story behind the change.

Alonso wore number 20 with the New York Mets over the last seven seasons, and now is changing his number as he joins the Orioles. 20 was retired for Frank Robinson, so Alonso had to switch his jersey number, and he chose a number with a great reason behind it.

A lot of players in Orioles history have worn number 25, with 60 different players over the long history of the Orioles who've donned the number.

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Most recently, Jacob Stalling and Greg Allen wore the number in 2025, while Anthony Santander wore the number from 2017 to 2024. Jim Thome, Derreck Lee, Rafael Palmeiro, Harold Reynolds, and many others have worn 25 for the Orioles.

Frank Waddey, all the way back in 1931, was the first Orioles player to wear 25 for the franchise. He played in just 14 games in his MLB career, recording a .273 average with a .652 OPS in his brief MLB experience.

Now, Alonso will wear number 25, becoming the 61st player to don the number in Orioles history. He had to switch from number 20, and he couldn't have had a better reason for choosing his new number.

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