BALTIMORE — The last time the Orioles were at home, this happened:
Some sights and sounds from inside the #Orioles clubhouse after clinching a spot in the playoffs... including owner John Angelos joining players drinking from the homer hose (there is another name for it when it's filled with beer). pic.twitter.com/Oxav7qmqKg
— Shawn Stepner (@StepnerWMAR) September 17, 2023
They return to Camden Yards on Tuesday yearning for another bottle-popping party.
"This is what you play for, to have this much excitement coming down to the end. Especially getting ready to go into the postseason," said outfielder Aaron Hicks.
The Orioles enter Tuesday's game against the Washington Nationals, and the final week of the regular season, in the driver’s seat for the AL East title. The magic number to clinch the division pennant is just three.
That means any combination of O’s wins and/or Tampa Bay Rays losses that equals three gets it done. Baltimore has two games with Washington then four with Boston. All at home. Tampa gets a pair with the Red Sox then three against Toronto. All on the road.
"We know already we are in the playoffs. But we have to play this game hard and win to secure first place," said outfielder Anthony Santander.
"It’s a lot of fun to be able to look at the standings and have it mean something instead of where we’ve been these past few years where you’re just kind of looking at it from the outside in," added outfielder Austin Hays. "We’re in it. We are in a part of that where the games matter to us."
In the most meaningful way. They are going for the top seed and home field advantage throughout the American League playoffs.
Even though it could be the biggest week of Orioles baseball in nearly a decade. Players are not trying to chalk it up as such.
"It really is just another game that we are preparing for like we have all season, staying within ourselves and doing what we have all year to get us to this point," said Hays. "We’re going to prepare for what we have got to do today to win this game and we’ll just do that for six more days."
In other O’s news all-star closer Felix Bautista threw 25 pitches to a hitter in a simulated game on Tuesday as he tries to come back from that partially torn UCL in his elbow. Manager Brandon Hyde said Bautista looked fine and it’s all about how he feels tomorrow. Hyde also admitted the team is running out of time to get Bautista back.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
