Shortly after midnight in Maryland this morning, the clock struck midnight on the 2022 Orioles. There will be no late miraculous charge to a wild card spot, no fevered imaginations of what if they’re the team of destiny. They are eliminated from the postseason. The final thing that sealed their fate happened in Seattle, when Oakland pitcher Domingo Acevedo gave up a walk-off home run to pinch hitter Cal Raleigh.
Seattle’s 2-1 victory was its 86th of the season. With Game 163s extinct under MLB’s new CBA and that team holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Orioles, the Orioles cannot catch up even if they win every remaining game and Seattle (or Tampa Bay) loses every remaining game.