When it was time for Orioles manager Buck Showalter and closer Zach Britton to say goodbye early Wednesday morning, they chose not to.
“I know at the end last night, it was getting close to 1 o’clock [a.m.], and it’s like you don’t know how to say goodbye,” Showalter said. “He was sitting there and I said, ‘Here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to get up and walk out that door, I’m going to walk back to the shower, and I’ll see you later.’ ”
But on Wednesday afternoon, the reality of Britton’s departure — he was traded to the New York Yankees for three pitching prospects — hit the Orioles clubhouse.