Baltimore Orioles Tie Multiple Records in Historic Rout of White Sox

The Baltimore Orioles obliterated the Chicago White Sox in impressive fashion.

Sep 2, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman is greeted by outfielder Colton Cowser. / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles were heavily favored in Monday's lopsided matchup against the historically bad Chicago White Sox, and they didn't disappoint.

The Orioles destroyed the White Sox during their Labor Day series opener at Camden Yards, crushing the worst team in baseball 13-3. Baltimore also treated the nearly 36,000 fans in attendance to several noteworthy achievements.

It was a true team effort for the Orioles, starting on the mound. Slumping ace Corbin Burnes settled down after giving up two quick runs in the first, cruising to his 13th win of the season and his first since Aug. 4.

Burnes struggled a bit with his command, throwing 53 of 89 pitches for strikes and lasting just five innings. He didn't have his best stuff, but he didn't need it, especially with all the run support he was getting.

Meanwhile, Baltimore's lineup had one of its best games in years. Gunnar Henderson broke out of his recent funk with a leadoff homer against Chris Flexen in the bottom of the first, giving the Orioles an instant spark. It was Baltimore's 12th leadoff homer of the year, tying a franchise record.

Gunnar Henderson leads it off for the @Orioles with his 34th home run of the season. 💪 pic.twitter.com/JMMa1N9Ir9

— MLB (@MLB) September 2, 2024

The long ball was also Henderson's 34th of the campaign, matching Cal Ripken Jr. (1991) and Miguel Tejada (2004) for most home runs in a single season by an Orioles shortstop.

Henderson's historic blast was his only hit of the day, but the rest of his teammates followed suit. Baltimore banged out 18 hits, as every member of the starting lineup recorded at least one hit and one run. The Orioles hadn't done that since Aug. 25, 2017, when they demolished the Boston Red Sox 16-3 at Fenway Park.

Between Burnes' solid outing and the offensive explosion, Baltimore rolled to its 80th win of the season, becoming the first American League team to reach 80 wins this year. The New York Yankees joined them later on Sunday, however, remaining half a game up in the AL East.

The Orioles will go for win No. 81 on Tuesday behind rookie Cade Povich (1-7, 6.58 ERA). While Povich has struggled this summer and hasn't earned a win since June 29, his opponent Nick Nastrini (0-6, 7.04 ERA) has been even worse, setting the stage for another slugfest.