O's react to Gunnar's 4-hit Classic performance for USA: 'The guy is elite'

SARASOTA, Fla. -- It was a later start to the day at Orioles camp on Sunday morning, as the team's report time was pushed back due to the beginning of daylight savings time. The staff's decision worked out well for the players, some of whom stayed up Saturday night to watch teammate Gunnar Henderson play for the United States in a World Baseball Classic matchup vs. Great Britain.

After not playing in Team USA's opening game against Brazil on Friday, Henderson started at shortstop on Saturday and made a big impact, going 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in the Americans' 9-1 win to improve to 2-0. Both runs he drove in scored on a single during a five-run fifth inning for the U.S.

Fellow O's infielder Jordan Westburg shared a photo of Henderson in action on his Instagram story after the game with the following caption: "Keep that man in the lineup."

Westburg wasn't surprised in the least by Henderson's performance at Daikin Park in Houston. The two came up through Baltimore's Minor League system together and have been MLB teammates since 2023.

"I was thinking that last night, actually, as I’m watching the game, I’m like, ‘Dude, this guy loves to win like nobody I know.’ He’s the most competitive person at anything that he does," Westburg said. "We’re just playing games at the [Spring Training] house, and he hates losing.

"I know how much that probably pissed him off that he didn’t get in that first game, and for him to get in that second game, I just figured that was kind of how it was going to go. He was going to come play with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder and do what he does best."

Henderson has become one of MLB's top young stars in recent years. The 24-year-old shortstop's best season so far came in 2024, when he hit .281 with 31 doubles, seven triples, 37 home runs, 92 RBIs and an .893 OPS over 159 games, earning his first All-Star selection and finishing fourth in American League MVP Award voting.

Even in Henderson's "down" 2025 season, he still hit .274 with 34 doubles, five triples, 17 homers, 68 RBIs and a .787 OPS in 154 games. So he was an easy choice to be included on Team USA's WBC roster.

"The guy is elite," catcher Adley Rutschman said. "Not surprised one bit when he goes out and gets four hits."

Before leaving Orioles camp on March 1, Henderson had stated how excited he was to participate in his first World Baseball Classic. But he may have been looking forward to it even more than he showed in his comments, which came in his traditional workmanlike tone.

Outfielder Colton Cowser said when he asked Henderson if he was excited, all Henderson said was, "Yeah." But Cowser and others knew how much the experience was going to mean to Henderson.

"It's the uncertainty of never having done it before mixed with the excitement of what he's heard," Rutschman said. "I know he's definitely excited."

"He loves his country. He loves representing something bigger than himself," Westburg added. "So for him to put the USA on his chest and play with some of the world's best baseball players, I think any one of us would be excited. But for him, I think it meant a little bit more."

Henderson's emotion eventually came out Saturday night, as it typically does. On his two-run single in the fifth, he advanced to second base on an error by Great Britain center fielder Nate Eaton, and as soon as Henderson stood up on the bag, he flexed his arms and let out a yell toward the USA dugout.

"I love seeing him get fired up," Rutschman said. "It’s one of my favorite things about him. He’s passionate about the game, and he’s passionate about the WBC. It’s cool to see."

Manager Craig Albernaz, who is entering his first season with the Orioles, doesn't know Henderson quite as well as his teammates yet. But it hasn't taken the new skipper long to be impressed by Henderson's hard-nosed style of play, which will be on display every time he takes the field, including in the Classic.

"I was fired up watching it. It was so cool. So cool for Gunnar and also the rest of the fans to see what Gunnar can do on a big stage and the impact player we all know he is," Albernaz said. "That just shows how he plays the game. And on that stage, that’s why the WBC is so cool, to get thrust into those competitive environments. I was fired up and couldn’t really sleep. So, good thing we got to sleep in today."