Pete Alonso, Orioles slam MLB over controversial home run ruled foul

The introduction of the ABS system to MLB this season has drastically cut back the number of controversial umpire calls. That doesn't mean they're obsolete quite yet.

In Wednesday's matchup between the Yankees and Orioles, a game New York went on to win 5-3, Pete Alonso appeared to hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning for Baltimore. But debate over whether his shot was on the right side of the foul pole then ensued.

With conflicting camera angles on a ball path that went above the foul pole, Alonso's home run was ultimately ruled a foul ball after a review, leaving Orioles players irate postgame.

Here's a look at Alonso's controversial called-back home run in Orioles vs. Yankees.

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Why Pete Alonso's home run was called back

Alonso was all over a first pitch from reliever Brent Headrick in the seventh inning at Camden Yards, already with one homer earlier in the evening. He skyrocketed a ball high and deep into left field — and from the jump, it was clear it would have to get inside the foul pole to count.

Whether it actually did became a debate. Because Alonso's home run was hit above the foul pole, it made an immediate verdict more difficult. But on the initial call, Alonso was left disappointed, standing around first base as he heard the "foul ball" call.

What would have been the go-ahead home run from Pete Alonso was upheld as a foul ball after review pic.twitter.com/Induc0V7qO

After Orioles manager Craig Albernaz asked for a crew chief review, the umpires took a look at the non-homer, with fans watching replays of the ball path to determine whether Baltimore would take the lead.

But the verdict from New York kept the same call: no home run. Despite a down-the-line camera angle seemingly showing a potential home run, with Alonso's ball sneaking inside the foul pole, Orioles fans booed the umpires.

Other video angles provided less clarity.

Show the video angle of the Orioles broadcast, it’s a lot more debatable than the Amazon/YES viewpoints pic.twitter.com/EOyxKA1ja7

Postgame, MLB’s replay center released a statement on behalf of the judgment, per USA Today. It said: “After viewing all relevant angles, the Replay Official could not definitively determine that the ball left the playing field in fair territory.

“The call stands, and it is a foul ball.”

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Orioles slam MLB technology over Pete Alonso home run call

Alonso wasn't the only Oriole left angered by the controversial home run call. After the game, pitcher Chris Bassitt called out MLB's rule technology.

“Obviously, I think it was fair. But after the call, it’s just crazy we still have this issue,” Bassitt said, per USA Today. “We might be the only major sport with an issue like this. It’s been years that we have technology they can easily use to say, ‘This is exactly the right thing or wrong thing.’ The fact we don’t have it in 2026 is crazy. That’s my take.

“It’s not so much that they got the right call or wrong call. You’ll ask the general public and get a 50-50 answer. It’s just the fact we don’t have the technology in play to actually say 'hey, this was fair or foul' is literally crazy in 2026. It’s crazy.”

Bassitt's rant continued, saying he believes fans want the necessary technology to determine the correct call in that instance.

“It costs money. That’s it. That’s literally it,” says Bassitt, a former member of the MLB Players’ Association executive council. “You ask a fan of the game who’s a true fan of the game, they’d want those cameras. You’d ask every player. Every coach.

“It costs money. That’s it. That’s literally it.”

Alonso, meanwhile, cited the newly added Hawk-Eye technology that the ABS system uses, questioning whether it could be used for fair-foul calls like his home run. He added, per USA Today, that he's "been told the main reason it doesn’t exist is because all 30 major league ballparks have different dimensions from the plate to the outfield fences."

“We have Hawk-Eye. I think a simple fix, you have football, you have the pylon camera with the (goal line) plane, it shoots right across the goal line. I feel like we could easily have a laser, or a camera that shoots straight up," Alonso said, per USA Today. “I think having a camera or laser shooting straight up – we have all the cameras and analytics and funds. I don’t see why we couldn’t do it. The reason I’m told we can’t is because every ballpark is unique. That’s my understanding. It sucks.”

Conversely, the Yankees' Headrick and manager Aaron Boone said they believed the ball was foul.

“I’m a pitcher, right? So from my vantage point, I thought it was foul,” Headrick said, per USA Today. “But I think it could’ve went either way. It went in my favor."

What technology does MLB have to determine home runs?

MLB uses its high-definition instant replay cameras, located around each stadium, to determine a home run call. In New York, video coordinators and replay umpires review the camera feeds in real time during reviews, using various angles to determine whether a ball was fair or foul.

The Hawk-Eye technology implemented in all 30 home ballparks is utilized for the ABS system, as it is not programmed to determine home run/foul calls.