WATCH: Gunnar Henderson discloses unique reason behind his signature salute at 2B after every home run
Baltimore Orioles slugger Gunnar Henderson has hit 28 home runs this season and each time when he rounds up the second base, he has a signature salute towards the bullpen. Many wondered if it was a special gesture directed toward someone in stands or at the dugout.
On Tuesday, mlb.fits uploaded a video where a person asked Henderson, who only trails Aaron Judge (35 HRs) and Shohei Ohtani (30) in the home run tally in majors, about his gesture at second base.
"So you got to give love to the bullpen, but so me Irv (Cole Irvin) and Dean (Kreamer) are huge Pirates of the Caribbean fans and so I try to do the Jack Sparrow way. That's just some kind of that we did," Henderson said.
As Henderson mentioned, the Jack Sparrow salute is a gesture to his friends Cole Irvin and Dean Kreamer in the bullpen.
Gunnar Henderson receives praise from his childhood idol
Last year during the ALDS and also after being drafted in 2019, Gunnar Henderson mentioned Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager being the man he idolizes.
“Growing up he was definitely a guy I looked at as a taller shortstop. To be able to compete with him is pretty cool,” he said during last year's ALDS.
"That is kind of who I model my game after, Corey Seager. He was my favorite player growing up. It's kind of a good comparison," said Henderson after being drafted.
Now seeing how Gunnar Henderson has fared this season and getting compared to him by Tom Verducci, the Rangers slugger also praised the AL MVP contender.
“I mean, obviously a big compliment, It’s a mutual feeling, for sure," Seager said via The Baltimore Sun. “Just watching how he competed and how he performed in the playoffs, too, in big moments being that young, it’s special,” Seager said. “He’s a really good player, and he’s going to be a good player for a long time.”
Seager, in his early 30s, has accomplished a lot including two World Series along with MVPs in the Fall Classic. Gunnar Henderson is still in his early years but could be on pace to have a similar career.