The O’s superstar shortstop yesterday became the first confirmed participant in the annual All-Star dinger-fest.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
The Orioles’ grueling month of June is over, and even though it ended with a stinker — an 11-2 loss to the Rangers on Sunday Night Baseball that Stacey watched so you didn’t have to — the O’s aced their toughest test of the season. In a month that included just one off day and numerous matchups against some of the toughest teams in baseball, the Orioles went 17-12, finishing with a share of the AL East lead. So far this season, the O’s have conquered every challenge that’s come their way, and next they head to the west coast for a pair of series against the Mariners and Athletics.
The big news from yesterday, though, was the announcement that Gunnar Henderson will participate in the Home Run Derby during All-Star week, two weeks from today, at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Henderson has been talking for some time about his interest in the Derby, and he confirmed his involvement in an interview during the ESPN broadcast.
There will always be the naysayers who don’t want their favorite players to participate because it will somehow mess up their swing or make them too homer-happy in the second half. But if there’s any real evidence to indicate that’s the case, I haven’t seen it. If Gunnar wants to put on a show for Orioles fans — and all baseball fans — by hitting some absolute bombs, that’s something we should be celebrating. I know I’ll be tuning in.
The O’s have a pretty good history with Home Run Derbies. Two fellow O’s shortstops, Cal Ripken Jr. and Miguel Tejada, have won the competition (in 1991 and 2004, respectively). Adley Rutschman put up an impressive performance last year, when he boldly switched sides of the plate mid-at-bat and mashed home runs both right-handed and left-handed. And we won’t soon forget Trey Mancini’s inspiring showing in 2021, when he powered his way to the final round of the competition less than a year after conquering cancer.
If Gunnar shows the kind of prodigious power in the Home Run Derby that he has for the Orioles in the first half of the season, then fans are in for quite a treat indeed. Bring it on!
Links
Irvin struggles again as O’s lose series and homestand finale (updated) – Steve Melewski
I feel like the Cole-Irvin-as-a-starter situation has just about reached its limit, just as it did last year. Unfortunately there are no obvious replacements for him at the moment.
How the Baltimore Orioles are managing Adley Rutschman’s workload – ESPN
If you’re wondering why James McCann and his .554 OPS are getting so much playing time, well, it’s not because of McCann. Adley certainly seems to be benefitting from getting more of a break from catching duties.
Gunnar Henderson’s new custom cleats feature real Legos – The Baltimore Banner
Gunnar may be a world-class athlete capable of the most incredible achievements on a baseball field, but he’s also kind of a dork. It’s why we love him.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! And happy 44th birthday to Nelson Cruz, who just retired from MLB this past winter after a brilliant 19-year career. That included the greatest one-and-done season by an O’s hitter ever, when he crushed a league-leading 40 home runs in 2014 to lead the Birds to the AL East title. Also celebrating a birthday today is former Orioles lefty Jamie Walker (53).
On this date in 1967, Jim Palmer gave up a grand slam. It’s true! But it happened in a minor league game, as Palmer was rehabbing a back injury with Triple-A Rochester against Buffalo. He coughed up the slam to a 19-year-old catcher named Johnny Bench, who decades later would join Palmer in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
And on this day in 1994, the Orioles and the California Angels combined for 11 home runs in a slugfest at Camden Yards. That tied the MLB record at the time for most dingers in a game (which is now 13, set by the Diamondbacks and Phillies in 2019). Mike Mussina uncharacteristically coughed up five home runs in the game, yet still got the win despite giving up seven runs in five innings. Jeffrey Hammonds slugged two homers for the Orioles while Cal Ripken, Rafael Palmeiro, Chris Hoiles, and Leo Gómez each hit one.