Phew, what a relief! A little sage, a bad mustache, and poof, the losing streak is history! Orioles magic, indeed.
It’s a good thing, because the Orioles’ losing streak was getting ugly. Just how bad was that streak?
- The Orioles missed breaking the AL record for consecutive losses—their own, set in 1988—by just two games, and the modern-day MLB record of 23, set by the Phillies in 1961, by just four;
- Brandon Hyde’s post-game quotes had started to go from “Give credit to these guys for battling and staying in there” to “I’m handling it the best I possibly can”;
- Other teams’ managers had started speaking out in support of the O’s poor scapegoat of a manager, like when the Angels’ Joe Maddon said on Tuesday, “I have the utmost respect for [Hyde].