Mullins' walk-off blast hands O's sweep, HR history

BALTIMORE -- 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.

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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.”