Orioles are talk of the town heading into ALDS

This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- Danny Coulombe has been living near the Federal Hill neighborhood in downtown Baltimore this season, his first with the Orioles. And in recent days, the 33-year-old left-hander has felt a bit of a different buzz in the area.

On a grassy slope in Fed Hill, there’s an orange O’s logo that has been painted onto the surface. A large number of fans -- eagerly looking forward to Saturday’s Game 1 of the American League Division Series vs. the Rangers -- have been stopping to take pictures with it.

“It’s pretty dang cool around here,” Coulombe said.

It’s been a while since postseason baseball has been held in Baltimore. Camden Yards hasn’t been the site of a playoff game since 2014, when the Orioles played host to the Tigers in the AL Division Series, then the Royals in the AL Championship Series. The O’s haven’t been to the postseason since ‘16, when they lost the AL Wild Card Game in Toronto.

Charm City is still a baseball city, even after some recent tough seasons for its beloved Orioles. Plenty of fans stuck with the team through the lean years with eyes toward a brighter future.

That future has arrived, and Baltimore will host Texas for both Games 1 and 2 of the ALDS this weekend, as well as a potential winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday (if necessary).

“I think everybody is excited to see how electric this place will be,” infielder Adam Frazier said.

Like Coulombe, Frazier has spotted the painted O’s logo in Fed Hill this week. The 31-year-old has also noticed the orange-lighted sign at the Domino Sugars refinery in Baltimore, which has been lighting up only the O’s and S’s in “Domino Sugars” in honor of the Orioles’ return to the postseason.

And of course, there’s the palpable excitement radiating from fans throughout the area wearing O’s hats and T-shirts everywhere they go.

“Once you start seeing stuff like that, you kind of realize how much of an impact you have on the community,” Frazier said. “I know they’re excited, and we’re happy we’re able to give them that. And we’ll try to make a run for them here this next month.”

Baltimore went 101-61 during the regular season, one of only three teams to reach the century mark (and the only one in the AL). The Orioles won their first AL East title since 2014 and seized the AL’s top seed, earning a bye into the Division Series.

Down the stretch, fans came out in droves to support the O’s in their pursuit of the postseason. Now that October is here, there should be 45,000-plus fans in the stands every time they play at Camden Yards (which could happen until late in the month, if they make a deep run).

“Really, we have great fans. And I think that the team feeds off of it,” Coulombe said. “I’ve obviously never been in a playoff game here, but I’ve seen videos of ‘The Delmon Young Game,’ and wow. If Camden is anything like that in the next few days, it’s going to be a blast.”

Most Orioles fans remember “The Delmon Young Game.” In Game 2 of the 2014 ALDS, Young delivered a go-ahead, three-run double to left field in the bottom of the eighth inning that lifted Baltimore over Detroit, 7-6. The Orioles went on to sweep the series in three games.

It’s frequently referred to as the loudest moment in Camden Yards history by anybody who was there -- including Ryan Klimek, who is now the Orioles’ pitching strategy coach. He was telling catcher Adley Rutschman about it earlier this week.

“He said the atmosphere was absolutely electric,” Rutschman said. “I'm really excited to see the fans and just to feel the excitement.”

So is manager Brandon Hyde, who has felt the love from O’s fans all week -- whether that’s when he’s gone out for dinners or when the team hosted a public workout at Camden Yards on Wednesday afternoon.

Hyde, who has helped turn Baltimore from a 110-loss team to a 101-win team in two years, is now getting thanked by supporters throughout the city. And he’s quite appreciative.

“Just from where we came from, to have our fans be proud of our team, have our fans enjoy watching us,” Hyde said. “It makes you feel proud that the city has rallied around our group.”