Inside The Orioles

Baltimore Orioles Young Superstar Makes MLB History After Latest Home Run

The Baltimore Orioles truly have a special player on their hands in Gunnar Henderson.
Brad Wakai|
Jun 8, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) hits a three-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning at Tropicana Field
Jun 8, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) hits a three-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the ninth inning at Tropicana Field | Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

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Baltimore Orioles

With the Baltimore Orioles looking to chase down the New York Yankees for the top spot in the AL East, they need to play at a high level if they're going to accomplish that.

Dropping the final two contests against the Toronto Blue Jays in their four-game series certainly didn't help as they looked to have their divisional opponents on the ropes.

Heading into another road matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Orioles needed to display the dominance they have come to know over their AL East rivals.

They've been able to do just that, winning the first two games of this series as they hope they don't suffer the same fate and drop the final two like they did against the Blue Jays.

However, that isn't the storyline coming out of Saturday's game.

Instead, it's what Gunnar Henderson just accomplished in his career that has now made him the first player in Major League Baseball history to do what he just did following his ninth-inning three-run blast.

That is completely ridiculous.

Henderson continues to take this league by storm ever since he was called up for his debut on August 31 in 2022.

His limited 34-game sample size showed the potential he might possess after being selected by the Orioles in the second round of the 2019 MLB draft and becoming the top overall prospect in all of baseball.

But even Baltimore has to be amazed by what he has turned into.

During his rookie season in 2023, he finished with a slash line of .255/.325/.489, 28 homers, and 82 RBI on his way to winning American League Rookie of the Year.

Those are incredible numbers for someone who was 21 years old.

Henderson is well on his wow to obiliterating that output this season.

Through 63 games, he's slashing .263/.367/.580 with his record-setting 20 homers and 45 RBI that has him in serious contention to win AL MVP that would put him in rare company alongside Cal Ripken Jr. as players who have won Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in back-to-back seasons.

Sky is the limit for Henderson and this Orioles team with him on it.

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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently covers the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He is also the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

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