Baltimore Orioles' Anthony Santander Moves Up Historic List With Walk-Off Home Run

Anthony Santander snapped the Baltimore Orioles' losing streak with a walk-off, two-run home run against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday, adding to his career year at the plate.

Sep 19, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Anthony Santander (25) greeted by third base coach Tony Mansolino (36) following his game winning two run home run in the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles, who came into Thursday 3-9 over their last 12 games, were on the verge of handing away another victory against the San Francisco Giants.

Despite holding a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth, Seranthony Domínguez let the Giants back into it by walking back-to-back batters to open the frame. Then, center fielder Cedric Mullins and right fielder Austin Slater dove straight into each other going for a fly ball, allowing San Francisco to tie the score.

Even though the Orioles prevented any additional damage, their veteran center fielder appeared to be banged up and it seemed like a fourth consecutive loss was the most likely outcome.

Baltimore's last hope to avoid extra innings was Anthony Santander, who stepped up to the plate with two outs and a man on first. The 29-year-old switch-hitter – batting lefty against the right-handed Ryan Walker – immediately went down in the count 0-2 and had to fight to stay alive by fouling of five pitches.

Santander finally got a hold of one, roping a 390-foot line drive to right-center. The ball just barely cleared the fence for a home run, giving the Orioles the walk-off magic they needed to get back on track.

It marked Santander's 42nd home run of the season, which ranks third in the league behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

As noted by MLB.com's Sarah Langs, Santander is now tied for the sixth-most home runs by a switch-hitter in a single season.

Mickey Mantle owns the top two spots, having hit 54 homers in 1961 and 52 in 1956. Lance Berkman and Chipper Jones are tied for third with 45, while Mark Teixeira sits alone in fifth at 43.

Berkman and Mantle also posted 42-home runs seasons, like Santander, giving him company in sixth place.

most HR by a switch-hitter in a season:

1961 Mickey Mantle: 54
1956 Mickey Mantle: 52
2006 Lance Berkman: 45
1999 Chipper Jones: 45
2005 Mark Teixeira: 43
2024 Anthony Santander: 42
2002 Lance Berkman: 42
1958 Mickey Mantle: 42 https://t.co/ifbbMfTwQg

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 19, 2024

Santander's 152 home runs since 2019 are the second-most by a switch-hitter in that span, bested only by José Ramírez and his 164 bombs. Meanwhile, Judge is the only American League outfielder with more homers than Santander over the past six seasons.

Through 147 games this season, Santander is batting .238 with 42 home runs, 24 doubles, 97 RBI, an .820 OPS and a 2.7 WAR. He was named an All-Star for the first time this summer.

Thanks to Santander's late-game heroics, the Orioles retained a 5.0-game lead in the AL Wild Card race. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is five, with just nine games left in the regular season.

Baltimore are set to open a weekend series with the Detroit Tigers, who are tied for the third and final AL Wild Card spot, at 7:05 p.m. ET on Friday.

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