21 August 2023
Gunnar Henderson was too good to hit for the cycle Sunday.
The rookie was a single away from recording the eighth cycle in Orioles history when he came to bat in the eighth inning, but he was hitting the ball too hard for singles. Henderson roped a 103.6 mph double down the right field line, choosing to sprint to second for his fourth extra-base hit of the afternoon rather than hold up at first for the cycle.
Henderson’s near-cycle — a 4-for-5 day with two doubles, a triple and a homer — propelled Baltimore to a 12-1 win over the Athletics and the Orioles’ eighth series sweep of the season. The 22-year-old is the 11th player in Orioles history with four extra-base hits in a game and the first since Melvin Mora in 2008. Only two other Baltimore players — Chris Richard, also a rookie, in 2000 and Don Baylor in 1973 — have tallied four extra-base hits with at least one double, triple and home run.
The four-hit game is the second of Henderson’s nascent career. In early July, he went 4-for-7 with two long balls in a blowout win over the Yankees in New York.
The dominant performance was the latest for a player who is blossoming into not just the front-runner to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award, but also perhaps the Orioles’ best player. His 3.8 wins above replacement on Baseball Reference entering Sunday — a number that will surely rise after he totaled 11 bases — tops the team.
Henderson powered an offense that totaled 17 hits. Ryan Mountcastle hit a three-run homer in the fourth with a deep blast to left-center field. Jorge Mateo didn’t need to clear the fence to round the bases with an inside-the-park home run in the second.
Starting pitcher Kyle Bradish maintained his status as the Orioles’ best rotation member — and perhaps one of the Junior Circuit’s top starters — with eight strikeouts in six shutout innings. His 3.03 ERA is tied for the AL lead among qualified starting pitchers.
Baltimore is 77-47 and three games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL standings. The last time the Orioles were 30 games over .500 was in 2014 — the last time the club won the AL East.
This story will be updated.
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