Orioles manager gets testy with reporter over Pete Alonso: ‘Don’t put words in my mouth’

Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz may have said Pete Alonso was dealing with his calf, but that doesn’t mean he’s okay with reporters asking about it.

The Orioles beat the St. Louis Cardinals 13-1 Tuesday night, led by one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball right now, Pete Alonso, who went 4-4 with a homer and four RBIs in the win. Alonso, however, didn’t finish the game, with Albernaz taking him out once Baltimore took a commanding 10-run lead in the fifth inning. After the game, Albernaz was asked by reporters about the decision and whether Alonso was okay.

@masnOrioles hey guys what happened to the video of the post game presser? Did it accidentally get deleted?

Don’t worry. I saved a copy in case you want to repost it! pic.twitter.com/jOW57iNHGG

— Thirst Round Pick MD (@ThirstRoundPick) August 26, 2026

“Yeah, precautionary,” the Orioles manager answered. “Game state, get him off his feet. Obviously, he was dealing with his calf, so there’s no point to push him there, and we had the guys to go mix and match with Sammy (Samuel Basallo) going to first and to get Narvy (Carlos Narváez) behind the plate.”

With Albernaz referencing Alonso’s calf, a reporter sought to ask what seemed like the obvious follow-up question of, “Is this the same calf that was bothering him in Tampa?”

“I didn’t say anything was bothering him,” Albernaz fired back with a glare. “Just said, ‘Took him off his feet because of the Tampa outing.’”

“So nothing’s bothering him?” Albernaz was asked.

“Please don’t put words in my mouth,” the testy Orioles manager answered. “Thank you.”

After a win against the Tampa Bay Rays 10 days ago, Albernaz told reporters Alonso’s “right calf was cramping on him.” 10 days later, Albernaz removed Alonso from a blowout win and cited the first baseman “dealing with his calf.”

What a strange interaction. Albernaz did not say Alonso’s calf was “bothering” him, but he did say Alonso was “dealing with his calf.” What did he want reporters to do with that information? If it was cramping 10 days ago, and he’s still dealing with it today, then it’s fair to wonder whether the calf is bothering Alonso. And Albernaz should appreciate the follow-up question instead of the reporter running with the information without asking for clarification first.

This wasn’t the media attempting to make something out of nothing, it was a reporter asking a manager to clarify a possible health issue that he brought into the conversation. But for some reason, Albernaz took offense to being asked for clarification on his star player’s calf.