Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Orioles rookie makes unique franchise history

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 7/6/23

The Baltimore Orioles are one of the surprise teams in baseball as the season nears the All-Star break, and one of the catalysts for the team's success has been rookie infielder Gunnar Henderson, who continued to impress Thursday against the New York Yankees.

Batting out of the leadoff spot, Henderson finished 4-for-7 with two home runs and five RBI in a 14-0 blowout win over the Yankees. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Henderson is only the third rookie in the franchise's history with four or more hits and five-plus RBI in a game since 1920, joining Roy Sievers (1949) and Chris Richard (2000). Perhaps most impressive, Henderson accomplished the feat after only four innings, starting the game 4-for-4.

Gunnar Henderson is 4-for-4 with 2 homers and 5 RBI.

It is the 4th inning. pic.twitter.com/m7Xmp52aNG
— MLB (@MLB) July 7, 2023

Henderson started the game with a bang, taking Yankees starter Luis Severino deep with a solo shot in the first inning. He followed with consecutive singles in the second and third before launching a three-run shot off Yankees reliever Albert Abreu in the fourth inning.

The 22-year-old is the first player since Matt Carpenter in 2018 to have four hits and two home runs through four innings of play, per Brent Maguire of MLB.com.

A second-round pick of the Orioles in the 2019 MLB Draft, Henderson made his major league debut in 2022, playing in 34 games. However, in his first full season with Baltimore, Henderson has played well enough to be in consideration for American League Rookie of the Year. He currently has the third-best odds (+400) to win the honor, trailing Boston Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida (+280) and Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung (+175), per Oddschecker.

While Henderson has turned heads, so have the Orioles. Following Thursday's win, they improved to 51-35. Baltimore is only four games out of first in the AL East, trailing the Tampa Bay Rays (57-33), who've lost five straight and were recently swept at home by the Philadelphia Phillies.

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