Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde received high praise from analysts and fans after clinching the AL East title with their win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. The Orioles shut out the Red Sox in a 2-0 victory to take home their first AL East title since 2014. One MLB Analyst pointed to the Baltimore manager as the man responsible for the turnaround, having taken the office in 2019.
While Brandon Hyde never made it to the major league as a player, he worked as a coach for the Florida Marlins and the Chicago Cubs before becoming the manager of the Orioles.
When he took the job at the end of the 2018 season, it was arguably the least wanted job in the MLB, as compared to five other managerial openings across the league. They had just fired GM Dan Duquette and their manager Buck Showalter after losing 115 games in 2018. In Hyde's first year with the team, they finished with a 54-108 record, at the bottom of their division.
Fast forward four years later, the Baltimore team is now the champions of the AL East after recording their 100th win of the regular season. Hyde had to endure some tough times in the past three years but has built them into surprise contenders for the World Series this season. In his column for USA Today, MLB Analyst Bob Nightengale quoted Hyde's reaction after the win against the Red Sox:
"There was pain, a lot of pain. There were a lot of nights I didn’t how I could do it."
Baltimore Orioles reach first 100-wins season under Brandon Hyde
The Baltimore Orioles recorded 100 wins in a MLB regular season only for the sixth time in franchise history as they beat the Boston Red Sox on Thursday. The team has shown unbelievable improvement since Brandon Hyde took office and it is only right to applaud his impact on the team.
Anthony Santander started the night off with a solo homer in the first inning before Heston Kjerstad's RBI single in the eighth doubled the lead. On the other side of the ball, the Baltimore defense kept things tight to shut out the Red Sox bats over the course of the night. They now have three games remaining in their schedule as they look forward to making a deep run in the postseason.