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Baltimore Orioles slugger Gunnar Henderson is in the middle of a fantastic season. He has been a sparkplug for the Orioles, who hold the best record in the American League.
On Thursday, he launched his 26th home run of the season in the fourth innings off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Aaron Civale. Henderson is nearly running away with the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
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The home run put them one run closer to the Rays, and this series is important. This is the first of a four-game series that will take place over the weekend, which could change the American League East standings.
The Rays are two games behind the Orioles in the division. The AL East will come down to these two teams as the Toronto Blue Jays are 11.5 games out of first place.
"ROTY and it's not even close" one fan posted.
"This guy is unbelievable" another fan posted.
Baltimore Orioles fans could not be happier with the season they have gotten from Gunnar Henderson. Through 134 games this season, Henderson has slashed .259/.330/.496 and leads the AL in triples with eight.
Henderson joined an exclusive list this season. He is just the third Orioles rookie with 25 doubles and home runs. The other two players on this list? Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr.
Gunnar Henderson and the Baltimore Orioles are looking to make some noise in the postseason
Gunnar Henderson has never experienced the postseason in the big leagues. The Baltimore Orioles last made the playoffs during the 2016 season, losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card.
That is quite the drought to make the young players excited and the veteran players hungry for their opportunity as their careers are winding down.
Baltimore feels confident with the guys they have on their roster. They have a great mix of young guys like Henderson, Adley Rustchman, and Heston Kjerstad. They also have some veterans to look after the prospects, like Ryan O'Hearn and Aaron Hicks.
The Orioles also got a boost in their pitching rotation. Left-handed pitcher John Means just made his season debut after being on the IL for over a year. Tommy John surgery kept him off the mound since the 2022 season.
This is the perfect time to get back a quality arm. You cannot have too many arms when it comes to the postseason where pitching is key.
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