Orioles season ends one game short thanks to nor’easter

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About three hours after first pitch was scheduled, an announcement on the video board at Yankee Stadium ended the Orioles’ season.

As a nor’easter battered New York, a lengthy delay turned into a cancellation. The Orioles and Yankees will not make up this game, which means Baltimore’s season ends with a 79-82 record after 161 games.

This seemed likely, given the forecast. In the visiting clubhouse before the game, even right-hander Shane Baz, Baltimore’s scheduled starting pitcher, laughed and joked with friends. On a normal start day, Baz would have been locked in concentration.

This is the last time this particular group will be together, so the players soaked in quality time while the rain soaked the field beyond playability. The Yankees, who never even announced a lineup for Game 162, will prepare for a wild-card series against the Boston Red Sox, beginning Tuesday at 8 p.m.

There was nothing on the line Sunday. The Yankees were locked in to their postseason seed. Baltimore was already eliminated — that occurred Thursday.

A loss in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader ensured the Orioles would settle for a second straight losing season.

The last time Baltimore played a 161-game season was 2008. Similar weather-related circumstances canceled the final game of that season.

It’s hard to know when the Orioles will take the field again. A lockout is expected to arrive in December as owners and players negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.

In a twist, the cancellation Sunday means this is the first time since 2023 that Pete Alonso didn’t play all 162 games. He started all 161 and loses that streak on a technicality. Alonso was the brightest spot for Baltimore this season, and the cancellation means he can’t add to what was a terrific year.

Still, assuming Houston Astros star Yordan Alvarez doesn’t go yard before the day is done, Alonso will lead the American League in home runs at 43. Alonso’s 113 RBIs also lead the AL.