The Birds sprinted out of the gate at 7-0, but as the calendar turns from April, it’s time for the team and fans to settle in for the long season. Press play for more or read the transcript below:
The Orioles spent the entire month of April in first place, but now that the wire-to-wire dream has ended – hey, maybe next year – with the Red Sox moving a half-game up on the first day of May, it’s time to remind ourselves just how long the baseball season is. WJZ’s Mark Viviano adds it to just about every single one of his baseball tweets – #longseason.
Three years ago, back in 2013, the Orioles tied a franchise record for wins in April with 16. It was the fifth time they had won 16 games in April in team history, and while the first two instances culminated in postseason berths, the last three – 2005, 2008, and 2013 – all ended with the Birds sitting on the couch watching in October. On top of that, at 16-11, the Birds weren’t even in first place…nor second…they were in third!
Then, just a year later, in 2014, they were 12-12 when the calendar flipped to May. One of those games was played in March, so they were actually under .500 for the month. And of course, we all remember what a fun ride that season turned out to be.
So yes, while suddenly looking up at those villains from Beantown isn’t fun, and J.J. Hardy‘s injury throws a brand new wrench into things, here’s some perspective: even if Hardy is gone for the upper end of his “six-to-eight week” prognosis, he’ll still be back before the All-Star Break.
If you’re anything like me, you live and die with every pitch, so you constantly need to remind yourself of the #longseason. There’s plenty of baseball left to be played.
