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Gunnar Henderson Makes Baltimore Orioles History By Crushing Another Leadoff Homer

Thanks to his leadoff home run against the Chicago White Sox on Monday, Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson moved up several lists in the franchise history books.

Sam Connon

Sep 1, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) hits an RBI single in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Sep 1, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) hits an RBI single in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
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The Chicago White Sox may have taken a quick 2-0 lead over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, but Gunnar Henderson made sure that two-run advantage didn't last long.

Per usual, the 23-year-old shortstop was batting out of the leadoff spot for the Orioles. And as he has made a habit of this year, Henderson opened the bottom of the first with a 397-foot solo homer to right-center.

That sparked an offensive explosion for Baltimore, which went on to defeat Chicago 13-3. Henderson added a sacrifice fly in the fifth and an RBI groundout in the sixth.

Henderson's home run was his 34th of the year, which ties him with Miguel Tejada for the most ever by an Orioles shortstop. It also put him fourth on the team's single-season leaderboards among players under the age of 25.

Boog Powell hit 39 home runs in 1964, when he was 22 years old. Manny Machado, meanwhile, hit 35 as a 22-year-old in 2015 and 37 as a 23-year-old in 2016.

Henderson was previously tied for fourth on that list alongside Ryan Mountcastle, one home run better than Eddie Murray's 1980 campaign.

The homer was also Henderson's ninth to lead off a game this season. Per TSN's StatsCentre, that vaults him past Cedric Mullins for second-most in franchise history. Brady Anderson still owns the record with 12 game-opening homers, which he set in 1996.

Henderson is now batting .276 with 34 home runs, 83 RBI, 16 stolen bases, an .892 OPS and a 7.7 WAR through 137 games in 2024. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year and Silver Slugger was named an All-Star for the first time earlier this summer, and he could place top-10 in AL MVP voting for the second year in a row later this fall.

Baltimore is currently tied for first place in the AL East, but owns a comfortable 9.0-game cushion in the AL Wild Card race with 23 games to go.

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Sam Connon

SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.

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