NEW YORK — Holding a can of Budweiser in his left hand and a bottle of Champagne in his right, Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde appeared appropriately exuberant and jubilant as he addressed his team last September.

“Nobody gave us a chance at the beginning of this year,” Hyde told a locker room full of players wearing bright orange championship T-shirts. “Nobody. How about 100 wins?”

Those words came after the 2023 Orioles, defined by an underdog mentality, clinched the American League East with their 100th win of the season. After losing over 100 games in three consecutive full seasons in 2018, 2019 and 2021, Baltimore’s newly formed youth movement surprised baseball pundits by staying in the playoff race until the final week of the 2022 season. Still, the O’s entered 2023 with disappointed expectations from the industry at large. FanGraphs gave the eventual AL top seed a 1.3 percent chance of winning the East, a projection that looked silly after just a few months.

Those grassroots expectations worked in the Orioles’ favor last year. They relied on a club of rising stars and key veterans that had more than enough power to beat the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox and Blue Jays. The Birds in the locker room had higher expectations of themselves than the Birds tweeting on social media and chirping on national broadcasts. Baltimore rode that underdog mentality all the way to the American League Division Series, where they faced a tough Texas Rangers team that ended up winning the whole game.

Because no one gave the Orioles a chance at first, few blamed them for their early playoff exit. They had defied expectations, winning 101 games, winning the AL East and giving Baltimore baseball a new lease of life. But the 2023 season changed everything – especially those pesky expectations. This year, they opened the season with a national projection that insisted they would secure a postseason berth for the second year in a row, with a Corbin Burnes-led chance to advance to the Fall Classic.

“It’s impossible not to hear the noise outside, it’s impossible not to know what the media is saying, what the fans are saying,” catcher James McCann said. “You just have to look around the locker room and every day it’s on the MLB Network. But with us, it’s kind of the same mentality as last year. Next man up, and you have to find a way to make it work.”

“The guys here are real professionals. They have done a really good job of not letting themselves be influenced by external expectations.”

How have the Orioles adapted to the elevation of their pitch? Within their clubhouse walls, Baltimore’s players were a little tighter and less carefree than before during a series at Citi Field this week. this time last year while going about their pregame work. Aside from some wearing “Moo, The Milkman” T-shirts in support of rookie outfielder Colton Cowser, the atmosphere was businesslike and relaxed.

Increased pressure from the national side appears to have been accompanied by a more serious attitude and approach.

“I don’t think our guys have changed or changed since last year,” Hyde said. “I just think the injuries hurt and we’re not exactly veterans either. We’re still pretty young. I think most young players have ups and downs. Hopefully we can finish the season strong.”

Rookie Jackson Holliday, son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, likes to think he brings a youthful spark to the O’s. But he also relies on his more experienced teammates to help him stay present. Veteran leadership can show itself in a variety of ways. Sometimes it’s experts offering advice to rookies — veteran Orioles players encouraging the rookies to stick with the process, take things one day at a time and not be too critical of themselves. Sometimes it’s leading by example and getting revenge on your former team, like James McCann did in the Orioles’ win over the Mets on Tuesday.

McCann, playing his first game at Citi Field since the Mets traded the catcher to Baltimore in December 2022, made a statement with a two-run home run to the second deck in left field against starter Jose Quintana. Teammates in the Orioles dugout smiled broadly as the normally reserved McCann took longer than usual to admire his towering moonshot. It was clear that the two-run home run, which increased Baltimore’s lead to 6-1, was aided by a little extra potential and retribution for McCann.

During his time with the Mets, the sound of McCann’s footsteps as he returned to the dugout was too often drowned out by the boos that rained down from all corners of Citi Field. McCann batted .220 with a .610 OPS and a 70 OPS+ in 182 games over two years in Queens. As for the New York crowd, he got no sympathy from fans for his struggles at the plate. But he earned more respect from the Orioles locker room on Tuesday after hitting a two-run home run that was crucial to their victory after the Mets had pulled ahead in the eighth inning.

Overcoming adversity is essential for teams hoping to make the playoffs, and that’s true for both the O’s, who are dealing with a series of pitcher injuries, and McCann, who is outshining his old team.

“When you play against a team you used to play for, you’re always a little more motivated,” Hyde said. “I know that home run felt good. It was a beautiful swing. In the end, it was a huge win for us.”

Hitting home runs against former teams is a pleasure more than half the Orioles roster has never experienced. Baltimore’s offense is loaded with hitters who are in their first, second or third year in the major leagues, as well as guys who have only played for the O’s, a clear indication of the youth and inexperience on the roster. Although Baltimore sent five players to the All-Star Game — and three earned starts — struggling closer Craig Kimbrel is the only member of the team with any significant postseason berths. Yet as inexperienced as they are, these Orioles are not exempt from the responsibility of living up to the lofty expectations they were last year. Over the next few years, this organization is built to play into October, backed by a top-notch farm system, and become a threat to win the championship every year.

But after failing to win a series for a third straight this week and falling to 21-23 since early July, the Orioles have lost some of their early-season dominance. McCann acknowledged that they sometimes fall into the trap of comparing themselves to last year. The 10th-year catcher added that younger players in particular can start chasing their 2023 numbers and everything that defined them last season. Veterans try to encourage them to trust the process instead, but that’s easier said than done when you don’t have several years of experience to fall back on.

Maybe the Orioles are too aware of their expectations and letting the moment get them going too much. The trick to getting them back on track might be to find a way to regain their carefree underdog attitude.

Baltimore is still, without a doubt, a top team in the major leagues. It has the best young core in baseball, and its talent has kept the club neck and neck with the Yankees for first place in the AL East. But there is reason for concern. Without the no-pressure attitude, Baltimore has struggled to capitalize on opportunities. When the Yankees were in a downward spiral from mid-June until after the All-Star break, the O’s wasted their chance to pull away in the division by simultaneously suffering through series losses. The bullpen’s performance has been concerning, its 4.18 ERA ranks 23rd in the major leagues and has only gotten worse since the All-Star break. Seranthony Domínguez, signed just before the deadline, had allowed just one run in his first nine appearances with the O’s before giving up home runs in each of his last three games, including Wednesday’s walk-off against the Mets’ Jesse Winker.

Jesse Winker hits a walk-off home run to give the Mets a 4-3 win over the Orioles

Even though everyone is now giving them a chance, internally the Orioles believe their mindset hasn’t changed. They’re still young, hungry and capable of doing something truly special in October – and they have a little more experience on their side. But will that be enough to make it to the end and make their first World Series appearance since 1983?

“I don’t think you can be satisfied just by winning the division,” Holliday said. “That’s a really big accomplishment, that’s really special. But the goal is to win the World Series. That’s everyone’s goal here.”

These Orioles have exceeded expectations once before, and now they face a bigger challenge: living up to them.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a local reporter for the New York Daily News. Deesha, the daughter of Indian immigrants, grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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