While Baltimore Orioles star Gunnar Henderson was experiencing a slow start to the 2025 season, it was nothing a reverse announcer’s jinx couldn’t fix. On Thursday night, Orioles announcers Kevin Brown and Jim Palmer supplied that reverse jinx.
Henderson entered Thursday’s game with a .214/.233/.310. Perhaps more troubling for Henderson, who’s produced big power numbers in his time as a Major Leaguer, had no home runs or runs batted in. And as Henderson dug in for his first at-bat in Thursday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians, Brown and Palmer spoke about his slow start.
“Gunnar at .214,” Brown said. “Just one walk, 16 strikeouts and he does still not have an RBI in 43 plate appearances.”
“Or a home run — yet,” Palmer added.
That soon changed.
On the next pitch he saw from Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee, Henderson went the other way with a line drive.
“That ball’s lashed; left-center field,” Brown said. While Henderson’s ball didn’t have the height of a typical home run, the line drive stayed in the air long enough.
Kevin Brown and Jim Palmer with a combined reverse announcer jinx on Gunnar Henderson. pic.twitter.com/HROAjqp2ws
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 17, 2025
“There is your first home run,” Brown added.
Indeed, it was Henderson’s first home run and RBI of the season.
We can’t say for sure that it was the reverse announcer jinx from Brown and Palmer. We can say this, though — it didn’t hurt.
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