Gunnar Henderson Sounds Off After Series Win Over Yankees

Getty Gunnar Henderson reacting after being hit by a pitch during a June 19 game against the New York Yankees.

Two of MLB’s best teams met for a series in the Bronx, but only one looked the part in the finale, with the Baltimore Orioles routing the New York Yankees, 17-5.

Gunnar Henderson went 5-for-13, scored 6 runs, and struck out once in the three-game series. Following the series-clinching win, he talked with reporters about Baltimore’s successes, in and outside of the New York series.

“It’s just a testament to the guys we have here and just the way we play ball,” Henderson told reporters postgame. “It doesn’t matter what happens. It seems like we’re always going to go out there and play our best ball and just try to win games.”

Henderson finished the series finale 3-of-5 at the plate, with 3 runs scored and a walk.

“It’s what you look forward to, these types of games, just having that many runs,” Henderson continued. “Toward the back half of the game, kind of take a breath. It was really fun.”

Batters on both sides had been hit by pitches throughout the series. That includes Henderson, who took a ball to the shoulder in the seventh inning of the previous game.

On not retaliating against the Yankees, Henderson says the Orioles are just focused on winning ball games.

“We just go out there and play our game,” Henderson said. “It’s just a testament to our guys. We’re just gonna go play our game and try to win ballgames.”

Baltimore is 49-25, and just a half game back of New York for the AL East lead.

Hyde, O’Hearn Talk ‘Statement Win’ Narrative

The term “statement win” was used all throughout social media following the Orioles win. But few in the Baltimore dugout believe that to be the case.

Team skipper Brandon Hyde is discouraging talk of the series win being such for the Orioles.

“I don’t know what kind of statement we’re making,” Hyde told reporters postgame on June 20. “I know teams think we’re a good team and our record shows it. And the way we’ve been playing against our division. How we’ve been playing baseball the last couple years, everybody kind of knows. So we’ll just keep doing what we’re doing.”

No team has a better win percentage than Baltimore, who’s tied with New York and the Philadelphia Phillies at .626.

Designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn agrees, and downplayed the idea that the Orioles were out to prove anything against the Yankees.

“I don’t know if we thought we had to show up and prove anything,” O’Hearn told Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports postgame. “We know we’re in a tough stretch with not many off-days playing really good teams and we knew we needed to show up and play. I believe we can play with anybody in this league, obviously, and we showed that today.”

Baltimore can secure a season-series win over New York with two more wins. That could play a huge part in the AL East race if the two teams are as close record wise come August.

Orioles Historic Win by the Numbers

Reliever Bryan Baker earns his first win since July 24, 2023. He threw 1.1 scoreless innings against New York.

17 runs scored is the most the Orioles have put up since a June 2021 win over the Cleveland Guardians, and the most they’ve put up against the Yankees since 2005. All nine starting batters recorded a hit for Baltimore.

Henderson extends his on-base streak to 27 consecutive games, which leads all of MLB.

Cedric Mullins snapped a 127 at-bat home run drought with his two-run bomb in the second inning. His last deep ball came on April 26.

It’s a 22nd consecutive series against the AL East without a loss for the Orioles. That’s a new record for the MLB history books.