The Baltimore Orioles called up their young prospect Gunnar Henderson earlier Wednesday. It did not take long for them to reap the rewards for that decision. In the top of the 4th inning, the Orioles rookie hit a moon shot to deep right center field for his first big league hit and home run.

He swung so hard, his helmet came flying off. Henderson has long blond hair that swayed as he jogged around the bases. The scene left ESPN MLB Insider Jeff Passan feeling a certain kind of way.

“Gunnar Henderson just hit an absolute nuke… and he completely lost his helmet in the process. He ran the bases on his first big league home run with his glorious lettuce flapping in the wind. What a stud,” Passan tweeted of the Orioles youngster.

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The home run helped build a 2-0 lead over the Cleveland Guardians. That is where things stand in the 6th inning as of this writing.

The Orioles have been probably the biggest surprise in all of baseball this year. After a sluggish start, the Orioles have completely turned their season around. Entering play Wednesday night, they are 67-61 and sit just three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild card spot.

It won't be easy reaching the postseason. The Minnesota Twins are also three games back and the Orioles schedule remaining is not easy. But the opportunity is there. Baltimore still has 10 games to play against the Blue Jays. They also have four against the Yankees, seven against the Red Sox and four against the Astros.

But even if they don't make the playoffs, the future is bright for the Orioles. That's especially true if Henderson can live up to his prospect status.