After being eliminated, Orioles rout Yankees in Game 1

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NEW YORK — When Orioles players and staff members arrived at Yankee Stadium on Friday, their first time together as a team since they were eliminated from playoff contention Thursday, manager Craig Albernaz addressed the room.

“First and foremost, I can be better for them,” Albernaz said in his retelling an hour or so later. “I’ve got to make adjustments and help us in the win column as much as I can, but also challenged them that each player does some self-reflection.”

Pete Alonso has already reflected, even before the final three Orioles games of this disappointing season. As the second half of the season continued, Alonso seemed intent on dragging Baltimore to the postseason himself. And, as he thought ahead to another grind toward October, his message was to himself and his teammates.

“We need to do a better job as players, because that’s what it boils down to,” Alonso said. “At the end of the day, you can have all the help, all the coaching, all the information, but it’s about getting it done between the lines and, collectively as a group, we didn’t do that.”

Alonso sure tried his best, and what he produced in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader was another example of his game-changing ways. Alonso crushed two home runs as part of Baltimore’s too-little, too-late 10-2 victory.

In doing so, Alonso established himself as the American League home run leader, at 43, with two games remaining. He also leads the AL in RBIs at 113.

As Alonso rallies his teammates for an offseason of introspection, the $155 million man should be able to look back on his first season with Baltimore as a personal achievement. He has notched the third-most homers of his career, and his latest spurt has been almost unbelievable — that is, if we weren’t watching him do it in real time.

When his second home run left his bat and traveled a season-long 471 feet in the seventh inning, that meant eight of Alonso’s previous nine hits were homers. And, since Aug. 9, Alonso’s 43-game run has been otherworldly. He has managed 20 homers and 42 RBIs in that stretch.

Of course, this is a team game, and Alonso generally recenters a conversation in that direction. For the team, this was not a successful season. The American League was pitiful, and yet the Orioles couldn’t sneak into a weak playoff field.

“As a club, we failed to perform and do what we were supposed to do,” Alonso said. “We had great moments, great individual performances, but as a whole, that’s not the standard here. And that’s unacceptable for us.”

The way the Orioles played in the first game Friday looked a lot like the best version of Baltimore. The Orioles hit to all fields and didn’t rely on homers, although Dylan Beavers’ first career grand slam joined Alonso’s two long balls. And, for good measure, Jeremiah Jackson raced around the bases for an inside-the-park homer.

Christian Franklin notched two opposite-field singles and recorded the first RBI of his career. Colton Cowser also recorded two knocks. The outpouring of run support aided left-hander Trevor Rogers, who pitched four innings to conclude his season with a 4.03 ERA.

There will be ample eyes on Rogers’ pending free-agent market. He’s a qualifying offer candidate, which opens a path to returning to Baltimore. But the southpaw will also be a coveted starter and a target for teams that miss out on left-hander Tarik Skubal.

Then right-hander Albert Suárez swept up the next four innings ahead of Alex Hoppe in the ninth. This was good, clean baseball when the stakes were zero. It showed the potential of the group, and it also underscored how far Baltimore underperformed as an offense at times this season.

In that respect, the Orioles may feel a bit wistful about the performance in the first game Friday. Alonso led a superb offensive display against right-hander Brendan Beck. But Alonso did it alone too often this year for the Orioles to be resting ahead of October baseball.