ALDS Game 1: Orioles blame 'miscommunication' for Gunnar Henderson's costly baserunning error
Down 3-2 on Saturday in Game 1 of the ALDS, Gunnar Henderson hit a leadoff single to put the tying run on base for the Baltimore Orioles in the bottom of the ninth.
It's a little unclear what happened next.
What fans could see was Henderson, the AL Rookie of the Year favorite, breaking for second base with Aaron Hicks at the plate. Then they saw Texas Rangers catcher Jonah Heim, one of the better arms in baseball, throw Henderson out by a couple of feet to stifle the Orioles' comeback attempt.
JONAH HIM 🔥
He caught Gunnar Henderson stealing in the 9th! pic.twitter.com/c8oOQyCGMI— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 7, 2023
One Hicks strikeout and Adam Frazier groundout later, the Rangers were celebrating a 3-2 win to take a 1-0 series lead.
Asked after the game what happened, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde described the play as “a little miscommunication.” The Fox Sports 1 broadcast might have better captured his true thoughts, as replay showed him appearing to yell "What the f***" as he saw what was happening.
It's unclear what kind of miscommunication happened, as it could've been Henderson misreading a signal not to steal or Hicks missing a hit-and-run call. Henderson might've been a little confused after getting his orders, as he reportedly looked back a couple of times before his doomed run.
Henderson still took the blame after the game, via MLB.com:
“I was just out there trying to play hard,” Henderson said, “and I felt like we had a good chance to do it. We had some long times at the plate, so it was a good opportunity right there.”
The Orioles are now two losses from their dream season ending early. They will try to bounce back in Game 2 on Sunday, with starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez facing the Rangers' Jordan Montgomery.
