Mullins' walk-off blast hands O's sweep, HR history
Jake Rill
@JakeDRillBALTIMORE -- For the third time already this season, the Orioles won in walk-off fashion on Wednesday afternoon, prompting the anthem, ¡°Orioles Magic,¡± to play over the loudspeakers at Camden Yards as fans cheered and the team celebrated at home plate.
The song goes, ¡°Every game there¡¯s a different star.¡± But right now, just about everybody in Baltimore¡¯s lineup is playing like a star.
This time, it was Cedric Mullins lifting the O¡¯s to a 4-2 victory over the Twins, swatting a two-run homer in the ninth inning off right-hander Griffin Jax and sending Baltimore to a three-game sweep. It marked the third home run of the day for the Orioles, who got a leadoff blast from Gunnar Henderson and a game-tying solo shot in the seventh by Anthony Santander.
It was the fifth straight game in which the O¡¯s have hit three-plus homers, tied for the second-longest streak in MLB since 1900 behind the ¡®87 Orioles, who did it in six straight games from May 8-13 that year. The club previously had a five-game streak from Aug. 6-10, 1996.
Meanwhile, the 2024 O¡¯s lead MLB with 30 home runs and pace the AL with 104 runs scored after securing their second sweep of the season.
¡°As a whole, we still have a pretty balanced lineup in terms of being able to steal bags, put pressure on guys on defense,¡± said Mullins, who had never previously hit a walk-off homer in his seven-year MLB career. ¡°But yeah, the home run total is going up, and I think that¡¯s just a matter of how our offseasons were and how we prepared for the season this spring.¡±
Baltimore had never had more than five players with four or more home runs through the first 20 games of a season. Eighteen games into the 2024 campaign, it already has six such players.
Henderson has a team-high six, Mullins has five and Colton Cowser, Ryan O¡¯Hearn, Santander and Jordan Westburg each have four.
¡°One through nine, we¡¯ve got a really good lineup each and every day and have the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, too,¡± said first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who singled ahead of Mullins¡¯ game-ending homer. ¡°It¡¯s a lot of fun to be a part of -- and watch, too.¡±
Many of Baltimore¡¯s hitters are raking right now. The 22-year-old Henderson has homered in three straight games for the second time in his young career. Westburg has a six-game hitting streak, during which he¡¯s batting .478 (11-for-23). The rookie Cowser was named American League Player of the Week last week.
Then there¡¯s Mullins, who was batting .143 over his first nine games of the season. Now, the 29-year-old former Silver Slugger is riding a nine-game hitting streak, during which he is 11-for-30 (.367).
¡°Day in and day out, he goes max effort every day and puts in his work,¡± Mountcastle said. ¡°Definitely a leader on this team.¡±
It had already been a big week for Mullins. In Monday¡¯s series-opening win over the Twins, he made a remarkable diving grab in center that could end up as the best catch in MLB this season. He also homered in that victory.
¡°For me, this is Cedric Mullins,¡± manager Brandon Hyde said. ¡°He drives runs in, he causes chaos on the bases, he plays a Gold Glove center field. He¡¯s just a huge igniter for our offense.¡±
Mullins wasn¡¯t thinking about hitting a home run when he stepped to the plate against Jax with one out in the bottom of the ninth on Wednesday. His goal was to keep a rally going for Baltimore.
He did more than that, connecting on a 1-2 changeup that caught too much of the plate and sending it a Statcast-projected 379 feet onto the flag court in right field.
After rounding the bases and reaching home, Mullins was greeted by his teammates, who had brought their ¡°homer hydration station¡± celebration prop onto the field. Mullins swigged some water -- and then got doused with the traditional Gatorade bath afterward.
Much like last year¡¯s AL East championship season, the Orioles (12-6) are winning quite frequently and enjoying it in the process.
¡°It¡¯s definitely fun,¡± Mullins said. ¡°We talk all the time about keeping it light, but at the same time, handling our business when it¡¯s time. Having that nice mix creates a nice clubhouse environment, and it¡¯s showing on the field.¡±