Before his brilliant Double-A debut Tuesday, left-hander DL Hall recalled how he and other Orioles prospects spent parts of minor league spring training dreaming of days like it.
Orioles minor leaguers had waited more than a year and a half for that feeling to come back. After the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 minor league season, Tuesday marked the first time in nearly 600 days prospects took the field for an official game.
“I can’t even imagine going a full year without playing,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I think back to as a player, or as a coach, in the minor leagues, not playing for a full year, what those guys went through, how mentally tough that must’ve been to just work out and not play games.