There’s a phrase painted on the back-right wall of the Orioles’ newly renovated clubhouse at Camden Yards: “Day One.” Manager Craig Albernaz introduced it at the team’s first Spring Training meeting. The meaning is this: one day, the Orioles want to win a World Series. It’s been a dream for years, a distant one. But flip those words — Day One — and your mindset changes, says Albernaz. Rather than waiting, you’re starting.
Thursday felt like not just another Opening Day. “There’s a real different energy
on that field, guys,” said beloved broadcaster Kevin Brown as the players ran down the orange carpet. The ballpark itself has been transformed, with a new jumbo videoboard in center field, a new sound system, new food options (hey, why not?) and plans for still more renovations underway.
There are new faces, and old ones that look different. Adley Rutschman looks healthy after an up-and-down last few years. He roped a Joe Ryan fastball into center for the Orioles’ first base hit of the season. Coby Mayo played an excellent third base (who knew??), stole the team’s first base this season (tell me if you had that on your bingo card) and was one of just three Orioles to reach base against the dominant Twins starter. Samuel Basallo is in the Opening Day lineup, now, already making contact, and making good decisions on the bases, like when he hustled from first to third on Tyler O’Neill’s single to set up the Orioles’ first run. O’Neill is healthy for now. Maybe the “General Soreness” nickname will be retired this year.
By contrast, Trevor Rogers, the 2025 Most Valuable Oriole, looked reassuringly the same. He went seven scoreless innings against a capable Twins lineup, allowing just three hits. He wasn’t blemish-free: four walks is a few too many. But he was effective, crafty, and hard to hit. Maybe the Orioles won’t need the monster free-agent contract, to have a top ten (top five??) rotation this season.
Good things were seen from the newcomers. Tyler Ward and Blaze Alexander bring a dash of athleticism to the team. Alexander singled home the winning run, a single up the middle. Both are fast. It looks like the days of stashing Mark Trumbo or Trey Mancini at the corners are over. Ryan Helsley, Baltimore’s new closer, came in to the strains of “Hell’s Bells” and struck out two in the ninth while pumping triple-digit fastballs. Game over. It’d be really something to have a real closer. I’m not going out on much of a limb to say that I think we might.
And then there was Pete Alonso. The Polar Bear blew a kiss to fans as he ran down the orange carpet, and when he stepped to the plate in the first inning—zero at-bats in as an Oriole—the roaring sellout crowd of 42,134 gave him a standing ovation. He tipped his helmet, then said afterwards, “Honestly, it felt like a movie today.” Aww. And he finished 0-for-3!! At any rate, that’s not a quote from a guy going through the motions.
There’s a new on-base celebration, too, with two hands crossed over each other, flapping. It looks like a dove was released in the air by a magician doing a trick (I mean, illusion). Points for lack of obviousness.
Looking across the field at the Twins, you felt the contrast. Minnesota came into 2026 with questions: aging pieces, an uncertain direction, the vague feeling of a team unsure whether its window is open or closed. Lots of things will have to go exactly right for them to contend this year. The Orioles are also coming off a rough 2025, but they feel like the team pointing forward.
And of course, there’s a new skipper. So far, the honeymoon period is going swimmingly. Albernaz came back to the clubhouse after the win, and reliever Tyler Wells asked him how big a vibes guy he is. “I’m always down for the boys,” Albernaz said. Buyer beware: moments later the new skip was thrown into a laundry cart and wheeled into the shower, getting drenched in beer. “Nobody’s safe from the cart,” Tyler O’Neill said, grinning. The manager took it like a champ.
There’s something to be said for a team that celebrates its firsts. Alonso, who knows a thing or two about big clubhouses and big expectations, put it plainly: “You have to celebrate. You have to celebrate firsts. You have to celebrate big moments.”
Thursday was a first. And for the first time in a while, it felt like the start of something new for this time. Hope springs eternal on Opening Day, but maybe this is not just another lap around the calendar.
Day One, check.
