Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson. Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Orioles' Gunnar Henderson smashes history-making HR

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Jun 8, 2024 10:01 PM ET

With Baltimore nursing a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning, Gunnar Henderson hit a three-run bomb off reliever Phil Maton to provide some cushion in a 5-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Gunnar. Gunnar Henderson. pic.twitter.com/8TTC4ikjqp
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) June 8, 2024

It was home run No. 20 on the year for Henderson. According to OptaStats, no lead-off-hitting shortstop had ever reached 20 home runs before turning 23, whether in the same season or not. Henderson accomplished the feat only 63 games into the 2024 campaign.

The 2023 American League Rookie of the Year is off to a red-hot start. Henderson has recorded a hit in 10 of the last 11 games, going 12-for-42 with three homers and eight RBI over that stretch.

Following Saturday's outing, Henderson is slashing .263/.367/.580, and only New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (22) has hit more home runs league-wide.

Meanwhile, the Orioles are also playing well. At 41-22, they own the second-best record in the AL and trail the Yankees by only three games for the East lead.

Henderson's emergence has him rightfully in the early MVP conversation. Heading into Sunday, he has the fourth-best odds (+480) to win the award, behind only Juan Soto (+460), Bobby Witt Jr. (+450) and Judge (+125), per FanDuel.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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