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Orioles' Gunnar Henderson Brought the Coolest Bat to Celebrate Star Wars Day

Patrick Andres

Apr 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) runs.
Apr 29, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) runs. / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
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As one of the most merchandisable film franchises ever made, Star Wars figures regularly and prominently in the promotion-friendly world of Minor League Baseball.

This year, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and company have been called up to the big leagues.

On Saturday—Star Wars Day, so designated because of its pun on "May the fourth be with you"—Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson showed off a special bat for the occasion ahead of a game against the Cincinnati Reds.

The bat—designed to mimic trademark Star Wars lightsabers—is red with Darth Vader and Death Star designs on one side, and blue with Luke Skywalker and Yoda designs on the other.

Henderson tagged Chandler Bats—a Port St. Lucie, Fla.-based bat company popular with MLB players—in his Instagram post.

With the Force presumably on his side, Henderson has slashed .279/.345/.581 with an MLB-high 10 home runs and 24 RBIs this season.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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