Fastball

Baltimore Orioles Shortstop Now Only Trails Legend Alex Rodriguez on This List in History

The Baltimore Orioles lost to the lowly Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night at Camden Yards. Even with the loss, shortstop Gunnar Henderson hit another home run to lead off the game.

Brady Farkas

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) swings through a third inning single against the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sept 4.
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) swings through a third inning single against the Chicago White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Sept 4. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
In this story:

The Baltimore Orioles were shellacked 8-1 by the lowly Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night at Camden Yards. With the loss, the Orioles are 81-60. They continue to lead the American League East by 0.5 games over the New York Yankees.

As for the White Sox, they are now 32-109 and trying to do anything they can to avoid becoming the worst team in baseball history.

Despite the loss, Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson still made some history. With a first-inning home run, Henderson now has the most home runs of any Orioles shortstop for a single-season in team history. He has 35, which surpassed Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada's previous mark of 34.

Furthermore, Henderson is chasing some history on the national scale as well.

Per @StatsCentre on social media:

Most single season home runs hit as a shortstop at age 23 or younger:
42- Alex Rodriguez (1998)
36- Rodriguez (1996)
35- @Orioles Gunnar Henderson (2024)
34- Fernando Tatis Jr (2021)
32- Francisco Lindor ('17)
28- Hanley Ramirez ('07)
28- Bo Bichette ('21)
28- Bobby Witt Jr ('23)

Rodriguez is one of the most accomplished players to ever play the game, and those seasons were before he was known to be using performance-enhancing drugs. In that 1996 season, Rodriguez won the batting title (.358) to go along with his 36 homers and 123 RBI. In 1998, he went 40/40, hitting 42 homers and stealing 46 bases.

Henderson, an All-Star this season, is hitting .280. He has 84 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

The Orioles are off on Thursday but will start a new series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night at Camden Yards.

Follow Fastball On SI on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball On SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

Published
Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

Home/History