Inside The Orioles

Look: Baltimore Orioles Star Shows Off Star Wars-Themed Bat

It was Stars Wars Day on Saturday, also known as ‘May The Fourth’, and one Baltimore Orioles star got the perfect gift.

Matthew Postins

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson.
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY
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Saturday was Star Wars Day, or ‘May The Fourth’ in some circles. Across professional baseball, teams and players celebrated.

For instance, the Washington Nationals turned their “Presidents Race” into a Star Wars race, featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn (Kenobi’s mentor) and Darth Maul, the villain in the prequel “The Phantom Menace.”

The Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, wore Star Wars-themed jerseys.

Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson received a gift from Chandler Bats, the Port St. Lucie, Fla.-based company that creates custom wood bats.

The Orioles posted a short video that Henderson posted on Instagram, showing off the Star Wars-themed creation.

One side of the bat was red and featured characters from the dark side of the Force (Maul, Darth Vader and the Death Stars), while the other side was blue and featured characters from the light side of the force (Luke Skywalker, Yoda and an X-Wing fighter).

Both sides of the bat handle were made to look like a lightsaber handle, the weapon used by jedis in the films.

Henderson did not use it in Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, as the design doesn’t conform to MLB standards.

Per MLB.com, most of the Orioles’ young stars are fans of the Star Wars movies and television shows, and the Orioles played that up going into the game on Saturday, having their young stars wield lightsabers for a promotion on social media.

Even without the Star Wars bat, the Orioles were able to beat the Reds, 2-1, behind a great performance by pitcher John Means, who made his first start since returning from the injured list to start the season.

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Matthew Postins

MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins covers baseball for several SI/Fan Nation sites, including Inside the Orioles. He also covers the Big 12 for HeartlandCollegeSports.com and Rodeo for Rodeodaily.com.