This, that and the other

Ryan O’Hearn fouled off a changeup last night in the third inning, got the barrel on a slider and deposited the ball into the home bullpen.

Home is where O’Hearn is hardest to contain.

He began last night batting .462 with a 1.362 OPS in nine games at Camden Yards and .237 with a .722 OPS in 15 games on the road, though his three-run homer on May 20 at Rogers Centre qualifies as one of the season’s biggest hits.

I wrote yesterday that O’Hearn’s OPS was the highest mark for any Orioles player in his first nine home games with a minimum of 30 plate appearances, per STATS.

There’s more, of course.

Who else is on the short list, and did anyone have the nickname “Big Money?”

Yes, to the latter. Catcher Earl Williams was a bust in Baltimore after winning National League Rookie of the Year with the Braves in 1971, but he posted a 1.212 OPS in his first nine games at Memorial Stadium in 1973.

Directly behind O’Hearn is third baseman Ray Knight, whose best days were behind him in 1987 after the champion Mets let him walk. Knight registered a 1.313 OPS in his first nine home games.

Infielder Tim Beckham is next at 1.304 in 2017, after the Orioles acquired him from the Rays at the deadline for minor league pitcher Tobias Myers.

Beckham hit .394/.417/.646 with 10 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 19 RBIs in 29 August games, and .180/.255/.348 in his last 21.

Second baseman Roberto Alomar posted a 1.219 OPS in 1996 to slot behind Beckham on the list.

The highest OPS by an Oriole over his first 10 home games is held by Hall of Famer Frank Robinson at 1.388 in 1966.

O’Hearn’s OPS is now 1.311 in 10 home games after going 1-for-5 with the homer.

I told you there was more.

* Gunnar Henderson can’t be stopped, contained or anything else.

Henderson had three more hits last night, including his first career grand slam. He’s driving the ball to all fields, with his homer going to left-center and his single in the fifth pulled into right. And he isn’t wasting much time doing it, his aggression is on the increase.

I wrote yesterday that Henderson had eight hits while the Orioles swept the Royals, with two home runs and two stolen bases. Per STATS, he's just the sixth rookie in the modern era (1901) to reach those numbers in a three-game series.

There’s more, of course.

How many players accomplished the feat besides Henderson, and who was the last?

It’s happened at Camden Yards the last two times, but the Blue Jays’ Cavan Biggio administered the beating on Sept. 17-19, 2019.

Maybe it’s something with the ballpark. Or probably just a coincidence.

Sam Jethroe of the 1950 Boston Braves was first, followed by the Astros’ Bill Doran in 1983, the Rangers’ Oddibe McDowell in 1985 and the Nationals’ Trey Turner in 2016.

* I also wrote yesterday that the Orioles won their last 16 games when allowing three runs or fewer.

There’s more, of course.

This is the club’s longest streak since stringing together 18 in a row from May 29-Aug. 7, 2017.

* Before last night, the Orioles’ bullpen registered a 1.65 ERA in the ninth inning and later by allowing 12 runs in 65 1/3 innings. The fourth-lowest mark in the last 50 years.

There’s got to be more to this note.

The 1979 Astros rank first at 1.36, followed by the 1981 Yankees at 1.55 and the 2020 Athletics at 1.64.

You’d think the Dennis Eckersley A’s would have cracked this list.

Cionel Pérez was charged with two runs in the ninth last night to increase the ERA from 1.65 to 1.90.

* Bo Bichette leads the Blue Jays in batting average, home runs and RBIs, the three triple crown categories.

Down the stretch of this article I come.

Only six shortstops have led their teams in these categories since 1969, including Orioles Cal Ripken Jr. (.323, 34, 114) in 1991 and Miguel Tejada (.330, 24, 100) in 2006.

Troy Tulowitzki is the most recent with the Rockies in 2011. Tejada and Alex Rodriguez did it with the Athletics and Rangers, respectively, in 2002, and Robin Yount did it with the Brewers in 1984.