'It's worth it': Baltimore Orioles complete epic turnaround, capture AL East with 100th win

BALTIMORE – In a triumph of smarts but also staying power, of patience laced with perseverance, the Baltimore Orioles completed one of the greatest turnarounds in baseball history Thursday night.

From 110 losses in 2021 to 100 wins in 2023. From 61 games out of first place in 2018 to potentially perennial powerhouse.

And finally, after a 2-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night at Camden Yards, champions of the American League East.

The Orioles won their first AL East title since 2014, and just their second since 1997, more than a quarter-century largely spent in misery, with last- or second-to-last-place finishes in 17 of the past 25 seasons.

And they didn’t just hit bottom: After a 115-loss 2018 resulted in a sweeping regime change, the Orioles stripped the franchise to the studs – the better to try to find some in the draft.

While they added 108- and 110-loss campaigns their next two full seasons, the on-field carnage yielded cornerstones in catcher Adley Rutschman and infielder Gunnar Henderson, their top two picks in 2019. New general manager Mike Elias modernized the scouting and player development apparatus, while his hand-picked manager, Brandon Hyde, stood in and took all those losses while the kids marinated on the farm.

Thursday, Hyde and several holdovers from the darkest days made it out the other side.

Starting pitcher Dean Kremer, the lone player remaining from the 2018 Manny Machado trade that signaled the end of the Orioles’ last prosperous era, took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. DL Hall, the penultimate first-round pick from the previous Dan Duquette regime, recorded five key relief outs.

And Anthony Santander, who debuted as a 22-year-old Rule 5 draft pick in 2017, clubbed a first-inning home run to give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Pinch hitter Heston Kjerstad, a rookie drafted with the No. 2 overall pick in 2020, drove in the second run with a double to left in the eighth.

When reliever Tyler Wells recorded the final out, a crowd of 27,543 that included Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. erupted, and a merry band of O’s spilled from the dugout - including a handful who lived through the worst of days.

"It’s worth it. Those tough moments – we lived through them," says Santander, whose 28 home runs are tied with Henderson for the team lead. "That gave you the opportunity to learn how to play the game, how to compete, how to stay engaged in the game every night. The only time it’s going to be easier is when you’re winning.

"I’m just grateful for that.”

So is Hyde.

Taking over a 115-loss team that would be predestined to lose a lot more in coming years is typically a recipe for failure for a first-time manager. But the former Chicago Cubs bench coach stayed on the same page with Elias and gradually shifted his focus – from teacher to tactician – as the Orioles eventually found a flicker at the end of the tunnel.

It was theoretically lit by Rutschman, whose May 2022 debut marked a crucial franchise turning point. When the Orioles staged a 10-game winning streak later that summer, Hyde acknowledged Thursday, he felt for the first time that misery might be over for good. The Orioles finished with 83 wins, their most since 2016.

When the Orioles reported to spring training, nobody, quite literally, picked the Orioles to win the East. Hyde made sure his players knew.

"It was in every publication, everywhere, that we were going to regress," says Hyde, his orange AL East champion shirt soaked in spirits. "I wanted our guys to know that. They took it personal.

"And we just won 100, in the AL East."

As they welcomed the Red Sox on the night they’d clinch the division, both managers felt the need for reflection. In 2021, the Orioles were about to lose their 110^th game as the Red Sox battled for a wild card spot.

“It was (Chris) Sale and (Nathan) Eovaldi,” says Hyde. “We had three lefties that aren’t with us right now starting.”

Yet, the Orioles won two of the three games, forcing the Red Sox to clinch their playoff spot in the game’s final weekend, a harbinger for the role reversal that now sees Boston going through a front office shuffle and ticketed for last place.

“He was the perfect guy to go through all those years of development,” says Red Sox manager Alex Cora of his Baltimore counterpart. "He took his punches. And now he can take punches to us.

“Because they’re really good at what they do.”

Hyde's gratitude in being allowed to see it through is palpable. Elias could promise Hyde that he would be around to see it through. He could not guarantee the outcome.

"Mike told me, I’m not hiring you to replace you when we got more talented,'" Hyde remembers. "He held true to that. He was way more patient than me those first few years, because it was hard. I took the losses hard. I knew we weren’t as talented as other teams, but I felt bad for the guys in the clubhouse.

"It beats you up. Mike showed great patience and understood the plan was in place and he drafted extremely well and got more talent in this organization as he said he was going to."

He also kept that promise to Hyde, a decision that became easier as Elias saw how the first-time manager handled the constant pummelings when Mookie Betts or Gleyber Torres would pulverize overmatched Orioles pitching 19 times a year.

The Yankees went 17-2 against Baltimore in 2019. This year, Hyde's Orioles have won 13 of 20 against the Yankees and Red Sox.

"I realized, this is one of the best managerial talents that I’ve seen in my experience," says Elias. "I’m not going to throw that away because we were losing games. He had nothing to do with it; we were just focused on building the organization. I could tell he was pushing the right buttons.

"Once we got major league talent up here, I think he was very, very, very prepared."

But from 110 losses to 100 wins? Elias, the Yale graduate and scouting wizard whose acumen keyed the rise of the Houston Astros' dynasty, freely admits he did not see this coming.

"This division is so daunting," says Elias, "I never thought, ‘OK, we’ll be winning a division title in X number of years.’ We were focused on getting to the playoffs, just becoming relevant again, step one. But this team is so special, they brought us up a level."

Baltimore will open the AL Division Series on Oct. 7 at Camden Yards, likely against the winner of the Tampa Bay Rays-Toronto Blue Jays wild card series. Adding to the giddiness, owner John Angelos and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced a 30-year agreement to extend their lease in Baltimore during Thursday’s game.

STAYING IN BALTIMORE: Orioles announce new 30-year deal to stay at Camden Yard

For the foreseeable future, a dominant ballclub will be the primary tenant, an outcome so hard to imagine just two years ago.

"There were so many rough nights in ’19 and ’21 and there’s so many guys from that clubhouse who are celebrating now," says Hyde. "It’s tough to get beat up. All the things you hear or read about is negative.

"To see them turn the corner, celebrate tonight, win the AL East, that’s a huge deal."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Baltimore Orioles win AL East and 100th game of 2023 season