Music blared over the public address system at Camden Yards throughout Game 1 of today’s doubleheader. The Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive” was an unfortunate omission.

Wednesday afternoon fever probably won’t catch on, but the Orioles kept their elimination number at one and bounced the Blue Jays from the Wild Card race with a 4-2 victory before an announced crowd of 10,562.

A two-run second inning against future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, Pete Alonso’s two-run shot in the fifth and Toronto’s lack of early clutch hitting enabled the Orioles to improve their record to 77-81, with Game 2 slated for 6:35 p.m. The White Sox are in Kansas City, which also keeps alive interest in scoreboard watching.

The outcome moved the Orioles into a fourth-place tie in the American League East. They’re trying to avoid back-to-back losing seasons but will need to win tonight and sweep the Yankees in the Bronx.

The elimination number dropped to one last night with Chicago’s 14-11 win over the Royals. The Orioles were rained out. They played today under heavy cloud cover and let Alonso shine again.

Alonso’s 41st homer was a 412-footer with the count full. He barreled Scherzer’s fastball, sending it out at 109.7 mph, and increased his RBI total to 110 to lead the American League. His last six hits are homers and he’s now tied for the AL lead.

The RBIs are the most by an Oriole since Chris Davis had 117 in 2015.

“Listen, I love Pete,” said Chris Bassitt. “I know I’m a Baltimore Oriole, but Pete deserves MVP votes, and he deserves them every single year. That’s just the reality. He’s one of the most underappreciated players in our game. He’s easily a top-3 hitter every single year. He’s doing it now in the AL when everyone says that the NL, AL, always the battle between those two. So it’s like, now what?

“He’s not having a crazy historical year for his standards. It’s just Pete being Pete, and people are like, ‘Dang, this is really, really special.’ But he’s been doing that for years. So yeah, Pete just held the standard of what he’s done for years, and I think people are now realizing, ‘Holy (crap), this guy’s really good.’ But he’s always been really, really good.”

Scherzer, who might squeeze in another start Sunday in his all-time strikeout battle with Justin Verlander, got three called third strikes in the first inning. Gunnar Henderson challenged his full-count strike and drew a walk.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand led off the second with a single, Colton Cowser walked and Jeremiah Jackson lined an RBI single into center field. Scherzer got two outs without more damage, but Cowser scored after Jackson broke for second and stayed in a rundown.

The Blue Jays conceded the run to get the out, which seemed like an odd choice considering that a throw to the plate by Andrés Giménez would have cut down Cowser.

Bassitt made his final start this season, and perhaps his last as an Oriole with free agency beckoning again, and left with a 4-0 lead, two runners on base and no outs in the sixth. Rookie left-hander Luis De León got the next two outs on a comebacker and strikeout, but Brandon Valenzuela reached on an infield hit, and a second run scored on Jackson’s throwing error.

Myles Straw singled and Anthony Nunez entered the game.

Bassitt scattered seven hits, was charged with two earned runs and finished with a 4.59 ERA in 20 appearances. He posted a 3.74 ERA in eight starts after returning from lower-back surgery.

Toronto wasted one-out doubles in the first and second innings, which started a trend.

Ernie Clement led off the third with a double and was tagged in a rundown after Bassitt fielded Nathan Lukes’ comebacker. Lukes reached second base, which didn’t seem to be doing the Jays any good today.

More proof came in the fourth inning with Giménez’s two-out double on a fly ball that fell into shallow left field. Four hits for the Jays, all of them doubles, and Bassitt carried a shutout bid into the fifth.

Bassitt was living on the edge and comfortable with is residency.

Clement reached on an infield hit with one out in the fifth and raced to third base on Lukes’ single. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. bounced into a double play.

The Jays were 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

“It was definitely a gritty outing,” said manager Craig Albernaz. “Just a veteran presence, knowing how to navigate that, making pitches when he had to. He had more in the tank, but he did his job today. Yeah, Bass gave us a chance to win and threw a lot of strikes. Us as a pitching staff, I think we had one walk on the day. Pounding the strike zone, and the ability to bear down and make pitches when he can. The key double play to get out of that inning. Yeah, it was a really good outing from Bass.”

Kazuma Okamoto drew a leadoff walk in the sixth and George Springer singled. Albernaz came to the mound, and Bassitt asked plate umpire Mark Wegner for a new baseball and handed it to his manager before walking to the dugout.

“He didn’t have a ball,” Albernaz said. “That was the thing. I was looking, I was waiting for the ball, but I guess the ball was put in play and time was called, it was thrown out and he didn’t have one. Yeah, that was funny. But no, just Bassitt being a total pro.

“It was a great outing, just did what he usually does. He thanks all the infielders behind him, thanks me. He’s never mad or upset when I take the ball from him. He understands it, and he is a team-first guy. It’s been awesome to have him.”

Said Bassitt: “I was pissed, honestly. I was mad because I walked the first guy, and I’ve been really trying to … I mean, ever since I had the surgery, I’ve always felt, like, the way that I feel and always in the past, I always have put myself in an aspect of, ‘If I don’t beat myself, then it’s hard to beat me.'”

Nunez retired all four batters he faced and Rico Garcia retired the side in order in the eighth. Andrew Kittredge earned his team-leading 11th save.

Roster move

The Orioles optioned De León to the spring training complex and recalled Trey Gibson, who’s starting Game 2.

De León made the conversion to reliever and posted a 1.93 ERA in eight appearance.

“LDL has been really impressive, what he’s done,” Albernaz said. “And in any situation we put him in. He has a bright future.”

Bassitt’s future

Bassitt appeared in his 252nd game over 12 seasons and hinted that he’d like to return in 2027.

“My future is, the last game of the season I’ll be throwing,” he said “That’s my future right now. As for everything else, man, I’ve got a 7-year-old at home, I’ve got a 3-year-old at home and a wife that wants me to be home. So yeah, we’ll cross that bridge when we do. But I mean, overall, I still have a lot of fire in me to definitely do something. I’m gonna have to win the wife over, I’ll tell you that. But yeah, there’s a lot of fire still in me. I know I still can play this game at a really high level.”

The 2026 Orioles have been special to him.

“It’s been pretty bloody, a little bit, for the season where just we took our shots,” he said. “It hasn’t been pretty a lot. I’ll be honest with you, it sucks for me in the aspect like I need to freaking win right now, because I don’t have much runway left. But these young guys, the way that they have handled this year, a lot of struggles, some obviously good moments, but just the way that they have approached every day, I know it’s setting up for something a lot more special in the future. It’s just I’m not part of the future, so to speak, for sure.

“So yeah, that’s the thing I just appreciate the absolute most, is just kind of who they are as people and how hard they’ve worked. So I’m happy about that.

More Alonso awards

Alonso received his Oriole Way award from the Orioles Advocates prior to Game 1, and his Most Valuable Oriole trophy is coming before Game 2.

The media made Alonso a unanimous selection.

“I know you guys voted, so appreciate it,” he said. “To represent this organization, this city every day, honestly, I take an immense amount of pride in that. So it’s a huge honor.”

Alonso received a five-year, $155 million contract, the second largest in franchise history, and made it money well spent in his first season

“How I viewed it is it’s just them believing in who I am, and it’s not trying to be anything different or anything more or less than who I am and what I can bring on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “There’s a lot of comfort and peace of mind in that where it’s, hey, we believe in you, and not just from a player’s side, but what you bring as a personality and teammate. I think that, for me, that speaks volumes.

“I really appreciate the runway obviously. This is a really great group and I just want to do everything I can on and off the field to help this organization success. This year obviously we’re not where we want to be, but I want to win in the worst way. I think regardless of the results this year, I feel like hopefully that, take some time to reflect and we’ll be better next year. And I’ll be sure of that.”

Injury updates

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill had a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right shoulder. His rehab will continue in the offseason and the Orioles expect him to be ready for spring training.

Ryan Mountcastle (left oblique strain) also is expected to be ready for the start of spring training. Whether he’s with the Orioles is another matter.

Closer Ryan Helsley discontinued his baseball activities while making a slow recovery from right elbow discomfort.

Game 2 lineup

Dylan Beavers RF
Pete Alonso 1B
Gunnar Henderson SS
Coby Mayo 3B
Christian Encarnacion-Strand DH
Colton Cowser CF
Jeremiah Jackson 2B
Christian Franklin LF
Yohel Pozo C

Trey Gibson RHP