In just his second full season with the Baltimore Orioles, young shortstop Gunnar Henderson has emerged not only as a team leader but as one of Major League Baseball’s standout players. On a Wednesday night that otherwise saw the Orioles falter, Henderson made franchise history by hitting his 35th home run of the season. This leadoff homer set a new record for the most home runs in a season by an Orioles shortstop, surpassing legends Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada.
Despite Henderson’s milestone, the Orioles struggled in an 8-1 defeat against the bottom-ranked Chicago White Sox. The loss prevented Baltimore from achieving their first series sweep in almost three months, stalling their season record at 81-60.
Henderson’s journey to the record books has been marked with recent challenges. After an explosive start to the season with 26 homers by the end of June, his pace cooled significantly following the All-Star break.
Entering Wednesday, he had managed only eight home runs since July. Nevertheless, Henderson has found his rhythm lately, with homers in two of the past three games, coinciding with the Orioles winning consecutive series for the first time since early July.
On this particular night, Henderson was one of the few bright spots for Baltimore, going 3-for-4 at the plate. His performance this season has been exceptional, boasting a .902 OPS and 6.9 wins above replacement according to FanGraphs — both team-leading figures that place him amongst the top talents in the league.
The Orioles’ pitching, usually a point of strength, faltered against the White Sox. Starter Albert Suárez suffered one of his poorest outings of the year, yielding six runs and three home runs in just over four innings—his shortest stint since late July. The bullpen didn’t fare much better, although Gregory Soto continued his impressive run with his 10th consecutive scoreless appearance.
As for the immediate future, the Orioles have yet to announce their starting pitchers for the upcoming series against the Tampa Bay Rays, which begins Friday night at Camden Yards. The team hopes to regain its early-season form as they push towards the playoffs.
The game on Wednesday may not have ended in celebration for the Orioles, but Henderson’s historic achievement underscores his importance to the team and hints at the bright future he could have with the franchise.
