is one of the sport’s best catchers for the third straight season, leading AL backstops in FanGraphs’ version of WAR at 2.8. Henderson won with 65% of the vote, while Rutschman got 70%.

“I’m very humbled and blessed to be the starter,” Henderson said. “That’s awesome being able to do this in my second full year.”

Rutschman, who was a reserve at last year’s Midsummer Classic, said being a starter is a “cherry on top.”

“That definitely was a goal of mine this year,” he said. “I feel fortunate to go.”

Four other Orioles — third baseman Jordan Westburg, outfielder Anthony Santander, designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and first baseman Ryan Mountcastle — also advanced to the second phase of voting to determine the contest’s starters after qualifying in the first. But none of them won their votes to start for the Junior Circuit.

The quartet will have the opportunity to make the AL All-Star team as reserves, as will Orioles pitchers like ace Corbin Burnes, sophomore starter Grayson Rodriguez and closer Craig Kimbrel. Reserves and pitching staffs, which are determined by player voting and the Commissioner’s Office, will be announced Sunday at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN.

“I hope we have a ton of guys,” Rutschman said. “I’d like to experience all of that with them and just kind of have a nice little crew in the dugout and just kind of go through it all together. It helps that everyone on this team is super close. Everyone is rooting each other on.”

Westburg, who is perhaps the third-most deserving Orioles position player to be named an All-Star, lost the head-to-head vote to Cleveland Guardians superstar José Ramírez, who won 60% of the vote. The 2020 No. 30 overall pick is enjoying a breakout sophomore campaign with a .281 average and an .833 OPS that ranks second on the team behind Henderson.

Santander, who has a credible case to join Henderson at the Home Run Derby on July 15, finished third of the four outfielders, two percentage points away from earning a starting nod. Judge earned an automatic bid after earning the AL’s most overall votes in phase one, while Yankees right fielder Juan Soto and Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan earned more votes than Santander in the second portion of fan voting. Santander had a slow start to begin the season but enjoyed one of the best power months in Orioles history in June, pounding 13 homers to increase his season total to 22, fifth in the majors.

Mountcastle, who has missed the past few games with an illness, lost to now-four-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Orioles slugger is hitting .273 and leads Baltimore with 21 doubles. Mountcastle lost the vote by 22 percentage points.

O’Hearn barely lost the race to start at DH to Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, 52% to 48%. The journeyman is posting an OPS above .800 for the second straight season with Baltimore after four consecutive years at .650 or worse with Kansas City.

Rutschman, who is batting a team-best .291 with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs, is the first Baltimore catcher to make the All-Star Game since Matt Wieters in 2016. He will join Gus Triandos (1958 and 1959) and Terry Kennedy (1987) as Orioles catchers to start an All-Star Game. (Wieters was voted as the starter in 2014 but was unable to play because of an injury.)

Henderson, who leads the Orioles with 26 homers, 58 RBIs and a .983 OPS, is the first Baltimore shortstop to make or start the contest since Manny Machado in 2018. He joins an illustrious list of Orioles shortstops to appear in the exhibition, including Cal Ripken Jr., Miguel Tejada and Mark Belanger.

“It’s awesome,” Rutschman said of sharing the honor with his friend. “Saw him in the weight room, was able to dap each other up and kind of just have a cool moment. Really cool to see him going. He obviously deserves it, not really surprising for anyone, but just to see how far he’s come is pretty impressive.

“We were roommates down in Florida. He was my first roommate down in pro ball. Watched a lot of Bohemian Rhapsody in the hotel room and kind of has blossomed from there.”

Manager Brandon Hyde said days like Wednesday are what make his job “unbelievable,” telling two generational players they achieved something they’ve dreamed of since they were kids.

“It’s an incredible honor,” the sixth-year skipper said. “To see the look on their faces when I told them is absolutely priceless. I’m really proud of those guys. I’m proud of the other four, also, that were so close. To have two starters there representing our team, our city, it’s awesome.”

The last time the Orioles had two starters in the same All-Star Game was 2014 with Adam Jones and Nelson Cruz. Baltimore sent four players last year: Austin Hays, Yennier Cano, Félix Bautista and Rutschman. It’s possible there’s even more than four Orioles in Arlington. The last time Baltimore had five All-Stars was 2016 (Brad Brach, Zach Britton, Mark Trumbo, Wieters and Machado). The last time the club had six was 1972 (Pat Dobson, Bobby Grich, Dave McNally, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer and Brooks Robinson). The only time the Orioles have sent seven players was 1970 (Mike Cuellar, Dave Johnson, Boog Powell, Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Palmer and McNally).

With seven credible candidates — Westburg, Santander, Mountcastle, O’Hearn, Burnes, Rodriguez and Kimbrel — it’s possible these Orioles send more than four.

“I’m hoping it’s a long list,” Hyde said, “because we’ve got a lot of guys that deserve it.”

All-Star Game starters

American League

C: Adley Rutschman, Orioles

1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays

2B: Jose Altuve, Astros

3B: José Ramírez, Guardians

SS: Gunnar Henderson, Orioles

OF: Aaron Judge, Yankees

OF: Juan Soto, Yankees

OF: Steven Kwan, Guardians

DH: Yordan Álvarez, Astros

National League

C: William Contreras, Brewers

1B: Bryce Harper, Phillies

2B: Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks

3B: Alec Bohm, Phillies

SS: Trea Turner, Phillies

OF: Christian Yelich, Brewers

OF: Jurickson Profar, Padres

OF: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres

DH: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers