Baltimore Orioles Slugger on Verge of Joining Extremely Rare Baseball History

As the Baltimore Orioles battle for an American League East crown in 2024, slugger Anthony Santander is closing in some great baseball history.

Baltimore Orioles right fielder Anthony Santander (25) swings through a eighth inning grand slam against the Houston Astros at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Aug 23. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles enter play on Tuesday at 74-58 on the season and in second place in the American League East. They trail the New York Yankees by 2.0 games in the division race, but also currently hold the No. 1 spot in the American League wild card picture.

As the O's look to make it to the finish line in 2024, slugger Anthony Santander is looking to make some history this season.

Per Jeff Passan of ESPN:

...he's two home runs away from joining Mickey Mantle, Chipper Jones, Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira, Lance Berkman, Ken Caminiti and Todd Hundley as the only switch hitters with at least 40 home runs in a season.

The 29-year-old native of Venezuela is setting himself him up for a very nice payday this offseason, when he'll be a free agent. He's got 86 RBI to go along with his 38 homers and is a true driving force in that O's lineup. Though he hits for great power, he has just a .235 average and a low .302 on-base percentage.

Lifetime, he's in his eighth year in the big leagues - all with the Orioles. He's already got a career-high in home runs and is just 10 away from breaking his singe-season high in RBI (95).

The Orioles will be back in action on Tuesday night when they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. In what could be a possible World Series preview, the Dodgers enter at 78-53. They are battling for the top spot in the National League.

First pitch is 10:10 p.m. ET.

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