There is something distinctly human in the importance given to round numbers. Is 400 really all that much more impressive than 399?

No. It’s just one more hit in a career full of them.

But the value of a round-number statistic like the one Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson reached in Friday’s win comes with the company he joins. The names are serious. With his opposite-field double, Henderson became the sixth player in Orioles history to reach 400 hits before turning 24.

The others? Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray, Boog Powell, Brooks Robinson and Manny Machado.

That group includes three Hall of Famers, one partial owner of the club, a potential future Hall of Famer and another guy who has his name on a much-loved barbecue stand on Eutaw Street.

The significance isn’t lost on Henderson, even if it’s likely that he’ll produce another 400 hits in a few years during what could be a long career.

“Those are some of the all-time greats,” Henderson said. “Being in a sentence with them is pretty special and something that I’ll hold dear to me.”

Henderson will turn 24 on June 29, so he has time to add to his pre-24 numbers. Machado, who debuted as a 20-year-old, leads the group with 699 hits (wouldn’t 700 have been that much sweeter?), followed by Ripken (569), Murray (526), Powell (468) and Robinson (414).

It’s not the first time Henderson has matched a milestone only a few Orioles in history have managed. Last year, when he hit 37 home runs, he passed Ripken and Miguel Tejada for the most homers in a single season by an Orioles shortstop.

Henderson’s climb has been rapid.

“It seems like it flew by,” Henderson said.

He debuted as a 21-year-old late in 2022, and he homered in his first game. He returned in 2023 with an .814 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and the American League Rookie of the Year award. He became an MVP candidate last season with his .893 OPS.

And, although Henderson is quick to admit he’s not hitting as well as he’d like this season, his overall numbers are manageable during the first 49 games of his season. The Selma, Alabama, native is hitting .259 with a .763 OPS.

“His swing probably isn’t feeling like the Gunnar Henderson swing we saw last year, the OPS .900,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “I think we talk a lot about having your ‘A’ swing, and it’s not realistic to have your ‘A’ swing for 500 plate appearances every year.”

Instead, Mansolino said, players have to make the most of their “B” and “C” swings, bridging the gap until they feel their best again.

“They just have to. You can’t sit there and wait for their ‘A’ swings to show up all the time,” Mansolino said. “You have to compete with what you’ve got. The hitting guys have been in there a lot with Gunn. They’re grinding with him. He’s taking it personal. They’re taking it personal. The best thing they’re doing right now is, as they’re searching for that ‘A’ swing, they’re getting the kid to compete every night.”

Henderson helped the Orioles produce a rally in Friday’s win when he followed Adley Rutschman’s sixth-inning single with an opposite-field double. He added another opposite-field knock later in the game.

Both hits showcased an approach Henderson would like to replicate frequently. Rather than doing too much, he poked both outside pitches in the direction they were pitched.

As Henderson strives to find more consistency — because to him his numbers aren’t yet where they should be — reducing the pressure on himself could pay dividends. After all, when adding up to 400 hits, a single counts the same as a homer.

“It’s been a little bit of a struggle, but I feel like I’ve been making good work and making good strides toward where I want to be,” Henderson said. “Took what the pitcher gave me tonight, and I feel like I need to build on that and I’ll get back to where I need to be.”