Yankees 7, Orioles 2: Ben Rice and Jose Caballero Answer Pete Alonso's Return

The lead

May 1, 2026 - Bronx, New York - The New York Yankees kept rolling at home, beating the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 behind a second-inning power burst, Will Warren's ninth strikeout night, and a bullpen that finished a three-hitter.

Cody Bellinger doubled home a run in the first. Pete Alonso answered in the second with a solo homer off Cade Povich, tying the game 1-1 in his return to Yankee Stadium after leaving the Mets for Baltimore in AP reporting. Jose Caballero then broke the tie with a solo homer, and Ben Rice launched a three-run shot later in the inning for 11 homers and 26 RBI on his season line in the AP recap.

How the game turned

The inning after Alonso's moment became New York's statement. Caballero, filling time while Anthony Volpe recovers from shoulder surgery, turned a tight game into leverage with one swing. Rice's follow-up homer ballooned the cushion before Warren even had to navigate a third pass through the order with stress.

Aaron Judge robbed Taylor Ward of extra bases against the wall in the first in AP's telling, a defensive answer that mattered when the score was still close. Amed Rosario plated insurance after Trent Grisham misplayed a ball in center, and Judge added a run-scoring single in the eighth as he crossed his 900th career run on the AP wire.

Pitching and matchup notes

Warren improved to 4-0 while allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits in 6 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts and one walk, lowering his ERA to 2.39 in the same AP story. Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird covered the late frames as Baltimore finished with only three hits.

Povich took the loss. The Yankees improved to an AL-best 21-11 and 5-0 in home series openers on the AP line.

Bats that changed the board

Rice and Caballero owned the headline. Bellinger set the early table. Alonso still reminded the Stadium crowd why offseason narratives follow stars across divisions.

Dylan Beavers drove in a run in the seventh after Baltimore created traffic, but the inning never threatened the full comeback.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

The Yankees ranked third on the May 1 AthX Engine team board with 15 team FP. Will Warren posted 23.33 AthX Engine pitching FP, while Ben Rice added 9 AthX Engine hitting FP in the same daily ledger.

When a staff posts nine punchouts with limited traffic, AthX Engine fantasy scoring often climbs even if the final margin is not a double-digit runaway. AthX Engine daily scoring is separate from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

Baltimore lined up Kyle Bradish against Ryan Weathers on Saturday in AP's lookahead. New York kept the best record in the league in view while Judge and Rice stayed central to the nightly story.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, MLB Gameday, ESPN, CBS Sports GameTracker, Associated Press, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*