We’ve established that the Baltimore Orioles are in the postseason. 2023-24 marks the first time since 1996-97 that the franchise has accomplished that feat. I was in high school, for the record. And I freely admit that I shadily snuck a radio into Chemistry class to listen to the games.
I suspect most fans expected this year to be the rosy victory lap last year was. But reality has a way of setting things the way it wants them. It shouldn’t be lost on folks that last year both World Series teams were Wild Cards. What does that mean in 2024? Nothing. But it’s of note.
Maybe not getting the layoff after winning the division (if in fact that’s what it ends up being) keeps their momentum going. Maybe getting their team “whole” again in the nick of time gives them a second wind. That all remains to be seen.
The push to get in the playoffs is over. However they can’t rest easy just yet. The magic number to clinch the top wild card is two. That means any combination of two Oriole wins or Detroit losses would mean the Birds clinch that top wild card. Obviously there’s still a super-outside chance they could win the division, but we’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.
End of the day, you don’t want to have to go on the road for that wild card series. Assuming the opponent is Detroit, yes the O’s struggled against them the past two weeks. But obviously in a weakened state, as they didn’t have all of their players. However either way, you’d rather play anyone at home as opposed to at their place.
So the next goal has to be to clinch home field advantage in the wild card. That begins today. In the Bronx. It may not have been exactly as we thought it would be, but the Orioles have returned to the postseason yet again. So now we go on.
Birdland Crush 