Mayo (1st hit), Henderson (30th HR) reach milestones in series finale win

BALTIMORE -- Upon his arrival to the big leagues in Cleveland on Aug. 2, Coby Mayo wasn’t letting himself worry about getting his first MLB hit. The 22-year-old took a leveled approach, trusting his offensive skill set and knowing it would eventually come -- even though it didn’t in any of his first three games for the Orioles during the series vs. the Guardians that week.

Then, Mayo and the O’s traveled to Toronto -- two more games, still no hit. The team flew to Mayo’s home state of Florida for a set against the Rays, and he played in only one game -- also hitless. Twelve days into his MLB career, Mayo was still seeking the biggest hit of his life.

“I was never too stressed about the hit,” said Mayo, Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 10 overall. “But then, it gets to you a little bit and you want it. You want it so bad, because you’re so competitive.”

Finally, on Wednesday night, it came.

After an 0-for-16 start to his big league tenure, Mayo broke through with a fifth-inning leadoff single in the Orioles’ 4-1 win over the Nationals at Camden Yards. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Mayo’s stretch of 18 hitless plate appearances was the longest by an O’s position player to open a career since 1961.

The previous longest career-opening hitless stretch over that span had been 17 PAs by both Cesar Devarez (1995-96) and Mike Fiore (‘68).

“A sigh of relief, for sure,” said Mayo, who also made his home debut.

With Jordan Westburg fracturing his right hand on July 31, Baltimore needed Mayo to help fill in at third base. The club was also hopeful his right-handed bat could provide a jolt to its lineup, considering he was slashing .301/.375/.586 with 20 home runs in 77 games at Triple-A Norfolk.

Through six games (all on the road), Mayo had no hits, two walks and 10 strikeouts in 17 plate appearances. Opposing pitchers shied away from fastballs, instead attacking the youngster with a ton of breaking stuff, frequently away from the strike zone.

“They’re going to keep throwing those pitches until you prove you can hit them,” Mayo said. “It’s the best level in the world. There’s no level higher than this, and there’s a reason why they’re here.”

Mayo was out of the lineup for Tuesday’s opener vs. Washington, before starting at third on Wednesday, when the Nats sent left-hander DJ Herz to the mound.

The matchup yielded a breakthrough for Mayo, who slapped a 1-0 slider from Herz into left field to open the fifth. Mayo reached first and let out some emotion, as the milestone ball was collected and delivered to Baltimore’s dugout (and eventually from Mayo to his mom, Terri).

“Any time a young player gets their first hit, you can see their relief in his face there at first base,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We’re all happy for him.”

That was evident from the comments made by Mayo’s teammates after the game.

“He can breathe now,” said right-hander Dean Kremer, who tossed six innings of one-run ball. “I’m sure things will start rolling for him here pretty soon.”

“I know he definitely has a little breath of fresh air now,” shortstop Gunnar Henderson said. “Glad to see him get it, especially at home.”

It wasn’t the only noteworthy feat achieved by an O’s youngster on the night. Henderson notched his first 30-homer season by belting a two-run homer to Eutaw Street in the first. The 23-year-old had 28 home runs during his 2023 American League Rookie of the Year campaign.

Henderson’s Statcast-projected 419-foot blast marked the eighth Eutaw homer of the season (the sixth by an Oriole) and the third of his career.

With Anthony Santander leading the team in home runs (36), it’s only the second time in O’s history the team has had two players with 30-plus homers 121 games into a season. In 1966, Frank Robinson had 37 (finishing with 49) and Boog Powell had 31 (finishing with 34).

If Mayo -- who later drew a walk and scored during Baltimore’s two-run seventh -- can build on his first hit and tap into his 65-grade power, the Orioles’ lineup could become even more potent. They already have an MLB-high 186 homers, which has them battling with the Yankees for the AL East lead.

“This coaching staff, and this organization as a whole, has done a great job throughout the Minor Leagues of preparing us for this moment,” Mayo said. “Struggling comes with every level. If you don’t struggle at first, you’re going to struggle at some point. Hopefully, this is the right step forward and this can keep going.”