Gunnar Henderson hit his 35th home run of the season on Wednesday, passing Baltimore Orioles royalty in the process.
With the first-inning blast, Henderson topped Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada for the most single-season home runs by a shortstop in Orioles history. The three players entered Wednesday tied for the all-time lead with 34 each.
The home run took place with the Orioles trailing the Chicago White Sox, 1-0 in the bottom of the inning. With a 3-1 count, White Sox starter Jonathan Cannon threw a 90 mph cutter over the plate. Henderson launched it into the right centerfield stands for a solo home run.
Unfortunately for the Orioles, it was their only run of the day. The White Sox rallied for an 8-1 win. The loss dropped Baltimore into a first-place tie in the AL East with the New York Yankees.
Henderson, though, continues to make his mark on the franchise record book in just his second full MLB season. Henderson earned AL Rookie of the Year in 2023 while slashing .255/.325/.489 with 28 home runs, 82 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He’s surpassed all of 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. Now he’s passed Ripken and Tejada in the record book with 21 games remaining in the season.
“It’s definitely something that I’m going to hold very dear to me,” Henderson said after the game. “To pass those guys in something, in any type of Orioles history, is pretty special.”
The next goal is to help lead the Orioles to the playoffs, where Henderson can make his mark on the postseason record book.