NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Alonso's storybook return to Citi Field was no surprise to Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz.
Alonso hit another home run against his former team Wednesday night, sparking another important win for the late-charging Orioles and earning himself another ovation from New York Mets fans still smarting over his departure last December.
The slugger's first-inning drive was the first of four home runs Wednesday for the Orioles, who beat the Mets 7-1 to finish a three-game sweep and move within 2 1/2 games of the Chicago White Sox for the last American League playoff berth.
It was the second longball in two games for Alonso, who launched his 300th career homer Tuesday night to tie that game in the ninth inning. The Orioles went on to win 7-5 in 11 innings.
“Not surprised at all, just knowing Pete,” Albernaz said with a grin Wednesday night. “Pete was (glad) to be back? Yeah, no doubt. But also, Pete definitely knows what’s at stake and he wants to win more than anyone in that clubhouse. He wants to go out there and compete and pull through for the team.
“Big series for Pete, couple big swings in big moments.”
The two home runs were Alonso’s lone hits in 12 at-bats during his return to Queens. He leads the AL with 102 RBIs, and his 37 homers rank fourth. His .864 OPS this season is slightly above his career mark of .857.
“There is a lot going on externally and I appreciate all the support and I’m so grateful for it,” Alonso said. “Got to stay centered and focused on winning baseball games, especially now. Mid-late September, it’s crunch time for us. Chasing down a playoff spot is the most important thing.”
The crowd of 25,324 stood and applauded prior to the Polar Bear’s first at-bat Wednesday and chanted “Pete Alonso!” before he drove emergency starter Xzavion Curry’s 74 mph curveball 410 feet into the second deck in left field.
Fans continued cheering as he rounded the bases, though the reception wasn’t nearly as raucous as Tuesday, when a pumped-up Alonso shouted in excitement and fired his bat toward the Baltimore dugout before beginning his home run trot.
That crowd of 28,097 — down from 35,800 for his much-anticipated return Monday night — roared as Alonso circled the bases. The cheers continued until he stepped out of the visitors’ dugout to take a rare curtain call on the road. Fans then began another chant of “Fire Stearns” directed at Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns.
Alonso hit a franchise-record 264 home runs and made five All-Star teams in seven seasons with the Mets, helping them reach the playoffs in 2022 and 2024. But they didn’t attempt to re-sign him as a free agent last offseason and Alonso agreed to a $155 million, five-year contract with Baltimore.
Despite an opening-day payroll of more than $350 million, the Mets endured a 12-game losing streak in April and have spent most of the season in the NL East basement. They were eliminated from playoff contention Monday and assured of a losing season with Tuesday’s defeat.
Following Wednesday’s game, Alonso said he hadn’t spoken to Stearns this week — though he added he spoke with clubhouse attendants, kitchen cooks, parking-lot attendants and security staffers in addition to his former teammates.
As his postgame interview ended, Alonso embraced longtime Mets radio play-by-play man Howie Rose, who is retiring at the end of the season.
“There’s so much life lived here. There’s a lot of really, really good people I was able to see,” Alonso said.
Alonso received a two-minute tribute video prior to the Orioles’ 2-1 win on Monday night. He was showered with a thunderous ovation before his first at-bat minutes later, when he was accompanied to the plate by “Layla,” one of his walk-up songs, as “Welcome Back, Pete!” flashed next to his picture on the scoreboard.
He was given his home run ball Tuesday by the trio of Long Islanders — Michael Shaw, Nick Maldarella and Chris Makarius — who teamed up to catch the milestone drive, which caromed off the second deck in left field and fell into the first deck.
Alonso signed a bat and a ball for each fan. He also signed the shirts they were wearing — a Mets Alonso jersey for Shaw and Makarius and a Carlos Delgado shirt for Maldarella — and offered them tickets and batting-practice access at Camden Yards in Baltimore.
Alonso also posed for a group picture and for photos with each person individually.
“I mean, who doesn’t love Pete?” Shaw said.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Baltimore Orioles Pete Alonso (25) celebrates a solo home run with his teammate Coby Mayo (16) during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
Baltimore Orioles Pete Alonso hits a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-backed government has deported Adam Castillo, a U.S. businessman and former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, after three months in jail on what supporters say were trumped-up charges, state media reported Wednesday.
State-run MRTV television said Castillo was flown out of the capital, Naypyitaw, earlier in the day, “in consideration of the friendly relations between Myanmar and the United States.”
The report said he had been charged with breach of trust over allegations he had violated the regulations of AmCham Myanmar. It did not say whether he had ever been brought to trial, or whether the charges had been dismissed.
Global Reach, a Washington-based nonprofit that seeks to bring home Americans who are being wrongly held abroad, which was engaged by Castillo’s family to help in the case, confirmed his release.
“We are thrilled to see Adam coming home and are grateful for the collaboration and efforts from the Trump Administration," said Global Reach CEO Mickey Bergman.
Castillo, 40, was released into the custody of U.S. officials in Myanmar then flown to Bangkok, Thailand, and will soon return home to the U.S.
“I can’t wait to welcome my brother home, but I know it will be bittersweet for him," said his sister Amanda Castillo in a statement. "He had such great hopes for enhanced US/Myanmar relations, and he holds the deepest respect for the Burmese people, among whom he lived for many years.”
The former U.S. Marine, who was a founder and owner of the security risk management firm AGS Myanmar, was detained at Yangon International Airport on June 11 after returning from Malaysia.
The arrest came after AmCham Myanmar accused him of financial impropriety, which he denies. At the time, Myanmar authorities would only say he had been arrested because “there was a crime and a lawsuit,” but did not provide further details.
AmCham Myanmar put out a statement on its website on Wednesday explaining its actions, saying it had “obtained independent legal advice and, consistent with its fiduciary duties and its obligations under its constitution, referred the matter to the appropriate authorities.”
It was not clear whether the AmCham's former executive director who was also arrested in the case, Australian national Danny Kyaw, had also been released. The Australian Embassy in Myanmar had no immediate comment on the case Thursday.
AmCham Myanmar's allegations against Castillo center around his lobbying effort aimed at generating interest in doing business with the restive Southeast Asian nation.
The MAGA loyalist had won audiences at the top levels in Washington to pitch his concept of getting the U.S. access to Myanmar’s abundant rare earth minerals in exchange for sanctions relief. At the same time, he was running one of Myanmar’s biggest security companies, and in March published a book detailing his experiences.
The book was critical of U.S. sanctions on Myanmar, which he argued hurt businesses and people but not the military-backed government, but also critical of the military, known as the Tatmadaw, as well as AmCham leadership.
It also detailed an episode in which Castillo said he helped a well-known dissident escape the country.
Castillo was arrested upon returning from promoting the book in Malaysia, at which point the contents of his memoir had likely become known to authorities, said Casey Barnett, who was president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia at the same time Castillo served in that role in Myanmar, and knew him from various events.
Barnett noted that Myanmar had jailed a rapper for 20 years in 2023 just for criticizing the military government over electricity blackouts.
“The regime likely would be very aware, if not perhaps made aware, of the statements that Adam made in the book, including calling the Tatmadaw regime a great evil," Barnett, who is now president of the CamEd Business School in Phnom Penh, told The Associated Press. "These kinds of statements would be intolerable for a country that puts a rapper in prison for life for criticizing electricity shortages.”
The AmCham's complaint centers around Castillo's creation of the U.S.-Burma Economic Forum as a lobbying organization for the chamber while serving as president from 2023-2025, and a 2024 contract Castillo signed with Washington public relations firm Mercury LLC to help arrange meetings and events.
The contract was worth $300,000, which AmCham Myanmar said in its official complaint that Castillo “illegally collected” using the association’s name and that he “did not deposit these funds into the association’s bank accounts.”
Detailing the internal investigation into the case in its annual report in May, the chamber said “the board never approved the agreement, AmCham Myanmar received no funds, made no payments, and received no services, and the matter was not disclosed to the statutory auditors.”
But other AmCham documents would seem to contradict the annual report.
A Nov. 1, 2024 resolution on AmCham Myanmar letterhead signed by board members including Castillo states that it had approved the Burma Lobby initiative and granted “full authority to act on behalf of AmCham Myanmar in connection with the initiative.” It adds that it agrees that sponsorship will be provided by Misfit Technologies and approves the engagement of Mercury Public Affairs for the lobbying initiative.
The resolution was obtained by the AP from supporters of Castillo, and AmCham Executive Director Myat Phyu The told the AP it was a “fabricated document.”
An employee of Misfit Technologies, whose CEO Munimul Islam was a board member at the time and is now named in the AmCham’s complaint as one of Castillo’s co-defendants, confirmed that Islam had signed the document. The employee spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, and other board members did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Other documents still available on the AmCham’s website also seem to confirm that the board was aware of the initiative and approved of it.
Minutes from the May 30, 2025 general meeting say Castillo proposed establishing the U.S.-Burma Economic Forum as part of the chamber’s constitution, and that the measure passed by 42 votes to eight.
The approximately $300,000 in fees to Mercury were paid directly by Misfit Technologies’ U.S. office because sanctions and Burmese regulations would have made it next to impossible to make the payments from Myanmar, said the Misfit employee, who specifically dealt with the matter.
Those payments were declared by Mercury to American authorities as required under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, with reports available online to the public.
And while the AmCham maintained it had received no services, the AP confirmed that Mercury did organize and attend multiple meetings in Washington with Castillo and others.
“My brother is all about law and order, he was a Marine Corps officer for goodness sake,” said sister Amanda. “The suggestion he did anything inappropriate is laughable — so many people can vouch for that.”
Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
Vehicles make their ways on a road near Junction City shopping mall Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo)
Pedestrians walk past entrance of Junction City office tower Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo)
Pedestrians walk past near Pabaedan township court Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo)
Pedestrians walk past entrance of Insein prison Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo)
Pedestrians walk past entrance of Junction City office tower Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo)
