For many Orioles, Saturday will be their first taste of the pressure and attention that comes with October baseball — the packed crowds, the primetime viewership, the knowledge that a loss could send them home.
No pitcher besides John Means has been a part of the Orioles organization longer than Hall. But after a frustrating year, the postseason may end up being the time he steps into a crucial role.
Eddie Murray, Boog Powell and Cal Ripken Jr., among others, joined current players to pay tribute to Robinson in a ceremony on the field at Oriole Park Monday.
The Tides won the International League championship and the Triple-A National Championship, and they did so with a talented lineup full of once and current top-10 prospects in the organization.
The Orioles, the winners of the American League East and owners of the best record in the league, will skip the wild-card round and begin their postseason in the AL Division Series on Saturday.
The energy from the 43,150 fans — the fourth-largest home crowd this season — was enough to prod Baltimore to a 5-2 victory in the penultimate game of the year.
The Orioles and the state of Maryland have struck a nonbinding agreement that settles some issues but leaves plenty of questions before a new 30-year lease is final.