Fastball

Reigning American League Rookie of the Year Continues to Shred Franchise History Books with Hot Start

By hitting his 10th home run of the season on Monday night, Baltimore Orioles' star Gunnar Henderson is continuing to write a whole new chapter in franchise history.

Brady Farkas

Apr 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) runs the
Apr 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) runs the / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
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The Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees on Monday night 2-0, kicking off a big series with their division rivals in a positive way.

Baltimore, who is trying to repeat as American League East champions, is now 18-10 on the year. The Yankees are now 19-11 as they look to unseat the O's.

The Orioles got an excellent pitching performance from Grayson Rodriguez and three relievers in the victory, and offensively the story was once again Gunnar Henderson.

The reigning American League Rookie of the Year hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first inning to provide an early cushion that would never be relinquished. It was his 10th homer of the year as he continues to rewrite the franchise record books.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Gunnar Henderson’s 10 HR are 3 more than any other player age 22 or younger in the team’s first 28 games in Orioles/Browns franchise history

Henderson is hitting .289 thus far with a .984 OPS. Coming into the season, fans were excited about the idea of having top prospect Jackson Holliday in the O's lineup, but Henderson has reminded people just how good he is.

He won the Rookie of the Year last year after hitting 28 home runs and bringing in 82.

In addition to his big blast, the O's also got hits from Adley Rutschman, Ryan O'Hearn and Jordan Westburg.

The O's and Yankees will play again on Tuesday night with the first pitch coming at 6:35 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.