Orioles: Rookie Gunnar Henderson Cherishes 'Meaningful' Win vs Rays; Says Games Feel Like 'Playoffs'

Baltimore Orioles v Tampa Bay Rays
(Photo : Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - Gunnar Henderson (#2) of the Baltimore Orioles reacts after arriving safe at third base after a throwing error by Randy Arozarena (not pictured) to Tyler Glasnow (#20) of the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth inning at Tropicana Field on July 20, 2023 in St Petersburg, Florida.

There are still a lot of games to play for everyone in Major League Baseball, but Gunnar Henderson wants to see their victory over Tampa Bay Rays as something that stands out over the others.

Baltimore Orioles beat their AL East rivals in their last match, 5-3, to close their series to 3-1 in favor of the O's.

Rookie Henderson thinks the victory can be used to gauge where they are right now, even though he knows there is still a long way to go.

"Every pitch matters, every inning matters, every hit," the 22-year-old shortstop told reporters after their series-closing victory.

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"So [we're] just trying to take it one pitch at a time and play as hard as we can, and [I'm] glad we came out on top."

"Also, yeah, it's only July, we've got a long way to go. But [we'll] definitely take a win here on the road against these guys and feel good about ourselves."

Playoffs atmosphere vs. Tampa Bay

The Orioles have not been to the playoffs since 2016, and it is an experience the Os historically lack.

This is Henderson's first season as a pro, but he thinks the four-game series with Tampa Bay brought him close to what playoffs are like.

"For some of the guys that don't have playoff experience, like myself, it felt like a playoff game," rookie infielder Gunnar Henderson said.

"Just really getting that and getting a sense of what it would feel like is just going to help us down the road."

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