Gunnar Henderson hit his 35th home run of the season on Wednesday, passing the Baltimore Orioles.
With the first-inning hit, Henderson surpassed Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada for the most home runs in a season by a shortstop in Orioles history. The three players entered Wednesday tied for the lead with 34 each.
The home run came with the Orioles trailing 1-0 to the Chicago White Sox in the final inning. With the count at 3-1, White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon threw a 90 mph cutter across the plate. Henderson drove the ball into the right-center field stands for a solo home run.
Unfortunately for the Orioles, it was their only run of the day, and the White Sox came back for an 8-1 victory. With the loss, Baltimore now sits in a tie for first place in the AL East with the New York Yankees.
Henderson continues to make his mark on the franchise record book in only his second full MLB season. He won AL Rookie of the Year in 2023 after slashing .255/.325/.489 with 28 home runs, 82 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
He’s surpassed all those numbers in a sophomore effort that’s produced a .280/.367/.536 slash line with 35 home runs, 84 RBI and 17 stolen bases. He’s now passed Ripken and Tejada in the record book with 21 games remaining in the season.
“It’s definitely something I’m going to hold dear,” Henderson said after the game. “To have those guys pass in anything, in any Orioles history, is pretty special.”
The next goal is to lead the Orioles to the playoffs, where Henderson can put his stamp on the postseason record.
