MLB has had a plethora of managers being fired. And no, it’s not the AI coming for their jobs! However, among the ones sitting outside the dugout is Brandon Hyde, who was fired way back in May. But it was something that didn’t sit right with plenty of people in baseball. The 51-year-old skipper just guided the Baltimore Orioles through one of the craziest rebuilds in modern history, after all. He even turned them into a playoff team and earned the 2023 AL Manager of the Year award. But then, two seasons later, he was shown the door.

When Baltimore had lost to the Nationals in May, GM Mike Elias had informed Hyde that his work with the Orioles was done. So, he packed up and said his goodbyes. And this is something that even took him by surprise. Hyde mentioned, “I wasn’t expecting to be let go, I really wasn’t. But we couldn’t have played any worse. We were pretty banged up. Our starting rotation was ranked 30th in baseball. Our offense was 28th. Just everything went wrong.”

But he did a lot for the team. From 2019 through 2021, he saw a franchise that averaged 111 losses! But he stuck with the team, and in 2023, the Orioles posted 101 wins, and mind you, this was their most since 1979—a big feat. Now, he is back home but has been watching his old team play, and he has thoughts.

“I feel more motivated than ever right now. When something like this happens, a lot of reflecting goes on. I’m proud of what we accomplished with the payroll we were playing against and the success we had.” When he had left, the Orioles were at 15-28, and since he left, they’re at 50-48. For now, even his former colleagues believe that he will be back in the game. Rockies skipper Bud Black said, “I really believe that Brandon will be back managing soon. He’s really positioned himself to get another opportunity.”

For now, though, Hyde’s story is one of the unfinished business. Sure, he might have been cast out coldly, but if he could win with the kids and with that budget in such a tough decision, then his comeback is something many should anticipate.

Orioles’s magic takes over the Los Angeles Dodgers

Now Hyde must have said that watching the Orioles is tough, but on Saturday night, Baltimore delivered an unbelievable game. Because how do you go from almost getting no-hit to pulling off a walk-off? Well, they had the game against the Dodgers, and they had the Orioles where they wanted them. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was cruising, one out away from history and what would have been the second no-hitter ever at Camden Yards. At that moment, LA had a win possibility of 99.5%– so that’s almost like game over for the Orioles, right? But then all things broke loose.

21-year-old Jackson Holliday stepped up, and he crushed Yamamoto’s 112th pitch for a home run. And just like that, the no-hitter was done, and so was the LA Dodgers’ certainty to win. After the game, Holliday admitted, “Going into the eighth inning, that’s what I was thinking. I was like, ‘Oh man, it’s going to come down to me.’ So I was definitely thinking about it and kind of nervous, because it’s kind of a big thing.” But then that was not all, because what followed was chaos.

Jeremiah Jackson ended up doing a double, Gunnar Henderson also got plunked, and Ryan Mountcastle walked. Then another walk from Colton Cowser made it 3-2, and then the place was shaking. Emmanuel Rivera then ended up delivering a two-run single off Scott, and Camden Yards was shaking in shock and excitement. It was Baltimore’s second straight walk-off win, and this game was even special given that Cal Ripken Jr. himself was in the house. This is because it was his 30th anniversary of his 2,131st consecutive game. Maybe it was his magic that took over the team, right? Interim manager Tony Mansolino said, “Fortunately, I think some of Cal’s magic resonated and affected us there in the ninth inning.”

Well, for sure, the O’s are not giving up the race just yet.