Well, that was quick.
I am left a bit stunned, as most Orioles fans are, not just by the postseason elimination but how it all went downhill so quickly.
This team was not supposed to achieve much of anything in 2023 so to have had this amazing, fun season was a surprising gift yet one that Baltimore baseball fans had been craving.
I guess that’s why the post-ALDS letdown feels particularly rooted in the gut. We really thought that this team was destined to make it to the World Series, if not win it all. It was Orioles Magic from March through September.
And then October happened. A five-day stretch of not playing. Then silent bats against Texas. Solid, normally reliable starting pitchers giving up dingers and allowing base runners after two-strike counts. Baserunning errors. Miscommunication.
One, two, three….and done.
Swept.
The Orioles had not been swept in a series going back to last season.
They saved the worst for last.
But hope truly does spring eternal. O’s fans now have real reason to be excited for 2024. The future is bright.
Today, though, hurts.
