The shortstop’s clutch eighth-inning blast in New York snaps a frustrating power drought.
For most of the season, Gunnar Henderson has looked close without getting the result the Baltimore Orioles needed. The swings have been there at times. The production has not.
That made Monday night at Citi Field feel different.
With Baltimore and New York tied late, Henderson sent an eighth-inning pitch over the wall to give the Orioles a 2-1 win over the Mets. It was his first home run since Aug. 30 and his first RBI in 12 games, ending two frustrating droughts while giving Baltimore a badly needed reminder of what Henderson can still provide.
Craig Albernaz has continued to see something different from Henderson than the box score suggests.
"He's having good bats, good swings, some bad luck," Albernaz told reporters postgame, via MASN. "He's sticking with his work, and it was great to see him come through for himself, but also obviously for the team."
That probably explains why the Orioles haven't treated Henderson's struggles like a reason to lose faith in him.
The shortstop entered Monday hitting .223 with a .706 OPS across 148 games, numbers well below the standard he established when he finished fourth in AL MVP voting in 2024. But there have been signs lately that the quality of his at-bats is moving in the right direction. Henderson had recorded at least one hit in seven of his previous 10 games before Monday, even as the power and run production remained largely absent.
Then came the eighth.
With the game tied and two outs, Henderson saw a 1-0 slider from Dedniel Núñez and didn't miss it. He drove the pitch 397 feet into right-center field for his 23rd home run of the season.
The swing looked simple. The situation wasn't.
For much of this season, Henderson has been trying to find a balance between fixing what wasn't working and avoiding the trap of overthinking every at-bat. After Monday's game, he sounded like someone who believes that part of the equation is finally settling down.
"I feel like my bat's been really good, seeing the ball well and swinging at pitches that I can do damage with," Henderson said postgame, via MASN. "So keep doing that, and good things will happen."
That's also why Albernaz's evaluation is worth paying attention to.
He wasn't describing a player suddenly changing his swing or discovering something new. He was talking about a hitter who has continued to work through a difficult season while waiting for some of those better swings to produce better results.
Henderson's home run also came on a night when Baltimore needed every bit of offense it could find. Brandon Young battled through five innings despite five walks, while Josh Walker, Yennier Cano, Grant Wolfram and Rico Garcia combined for four scoreless innings behind him.
The Orioles ended the night three games behind Cleveland for the final AL Wild Card spot. With 11 games remaining, there isn't much room for Henderson's good swings to keep ending in nothing.
Lucky for him, the fruits of his labor were finally on display on Monday.
