O's announce unique fan contest leading up to the franchise's 10,000th home run

The Orioles are rapidly approaching their 10,000th home run as a professional ballclub. To date, the Orioles have hit 9,976 regular season home runs, just 24 shy of the mark. To celebrate this impressive upcoming milestone, the Orioles have decided to hold a unique contest for fans encouraging them to predict which player will hit the 10,000th home run in franchise history, how many men will be on base and which inning the moonshot will come in.

Each person who correctly selects the home run hitter will win two tickets to a 2017 Orioles home game. Additionally, one lucky fan who correctly predicts the inning, the correct number of men on base and the hitter will receive an Orioles VIP package, which includes four tickets, a parking pass, pregame on-field passes and a signed jersey from the player who hits the milestone home run!

Fans have plenty of candidates to choose from as three current Orioles rank among active major league leaders in home runs since 2012 - Chris Davis (213, leading the majors), Adam Jones (165, tied for eighth) and Mark Trumbo (164, ranks 10th). This season, Jonathan Schoop and Manny Machado lead the team with 18 home runs each, and rookie Trey Mancini's 14 home runs prior to the All-Star break were the most by a rookie in Orioles history (his 15 total home runs rank sixth among qualified major league rookies).

Fans can cast their votes at http://www.orioles.com/homerun, and are also encouraged to share their predictions on social media using #OsHR10000. As an added bonus, the website will give fans the chance to look back upon some of the most memorable Orioles home runs in franchise history.

The Orioles will become the fourth team in major league history to accomplish this feat since 1954, joining the Yankees, Red Sox and Tigers. The Birds have hit 4,979 home runs at home and 4,997 on the road, with 2,489 being hit at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

By Keenan Woofter