Pete Alonso is alone at the top. The Baltimore Orioles first baseman claimed sole possession of the American League home run lead with 42 on Friday, September 25, 2026, pulling away from a group that included Houston's Yordan Alvarez, Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero, and the Yankees' own Ben Rice. With the 2026 regular season winding down, Alonso sits two home runs clear of the nearest AL competition — a margin of roughly 2.4 percent over the runner-up. For a race this tight this late, that gap is real and it matters.

Pete Alonso's 2026 Home Run Lead: The Number in Context

Forty-two home runs at any point in a season commands attention, but 42 in late September is a statement. Alonso spent 2025 slugging 38 home runs for the New York Mets, posting a .272 batting average, a .524 slugging percentage, and a .871 OPS across 162 games — numbers that confirmed him as one of the premier power hitters in the game. Now in Baltimore, he has pushed that total to 42 with at least a week remaining in the regular season, and he has done it while holding the AL lead outright.

The fact that three players — Alvarez, Caminero, and Rice — shared that perch before Alonso seized it alone tells you how competitive this race has been all year. These are not soft power numbers padding a weak division. Alvarez is one of the most dangerous left-handed bats in baseball. Junior Caminero has emerged as a genuine offensive threat in Tampa. And Ben Rice, a young Yankee who forced his way into this conversation in the first place, belongs on that list on merit. Alonso beat all of them to the top.

What Alonso's 2026 Season Means for the AL Home Run Race

Alonso is active and on the roster, which means he has every opportunity to extend this lead before the final out of the regular season. At 42 home runs, he is already above his 2025 full-season total of 38 — a meaningful jump of four home runs with games still to play. There are no active home run streaks on record for him right now, so this lead is built on consistent production across the full 2026 season, not a recent hot run.

The leader-flip itself — the moment Alonso moved from a share of the lead into sole possession — carries significance beyond a single swing. It reshuffles the leaderboard heading into the final stretch of the regular season and puts the AL home run crown within his grasp. At 42, he is in range of a genuinely notable season-end total.

The Players Who Fell Out of the Lead

  • Yordan Alvarez (Houston Astros): One of the most feared power hitters in the AL, Alvarez had been at the top of this race for stretches of the 2026 season. Falling out of the sole lead does not diminish what he has done — it reflects how good Alonso has been.
  • Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays): The young Tampa Bay infielder's presence in an AL home run race is its own story. Caminero forcing his way into this conversation at all is a sign of what the Rays believe they have in him.
  • Ben Rice (New York Yankees): From a Yankees perspective, Rice's inclusion in this group is worth acknowledging directly. He was in sole or shared possession of the AL home run lead at some point during this 2026 season. That is not a small thing for a young hitter still establishing himself in the major leagues.

What Comes Next for the AL Home Run Race

With the regular season winding toward its close, Alonso holds a two-home run advantage. That lead can disappear in a single night, or it can grow. Every at-bat for Alonso, Alvarez, Caminero, and Rice over the final days of the 2026 regular season carries added weight now that the standings on this leaderboard are clear.

For Yankees fans watching Rice come up short of the sole lead, the honest reaction is straightforward: losing ground to Pete Alonso in a home run race is not embarrassing. Being in the race in the first place is the headline about Rice. Alonso is simply the better power hitter right now, sitting at 42 home runs and counting, alone at the top of the American League.