BALTIMORE -- Before every Orioles home game, manager Brandon Hyde comes into the auxiliary clubhouse at Camden Yards to hold his pregame press conference with the media.
Hyde gives injury updates, discusses the lineup and answers questions.
On Tuesday afternoon -- a few hours before the O’s took on the Dodgers -- Hyde stepped aside and allowed Luke Brockway, a 17-year-old from Catonsville, Md., to meet with reporters instead.
“It’s your show,” Hyde told Brockway. “You have to answer all the tough questions.”
Brockway was Baltimore’s “Manager for the Day,” an experience set up by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A rising senior at Mount Saint Joseph High School, Brockway’s baseball career ended in 2020, when he was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a serious condition in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it difficult to perform strenuous physical activities.
Although Brockway can no longer play baseball, he’s found ways to stick around the sport he loves. He has served as manager for both his high school and travel squads, which has given him a new perspective on the game.
“I just love it so much. I don’t know how to describe it,” Brockway said. “I just have such a pull, such a passion for the game that there was no way I was leaving it when I was diagnosed.
“I was like, ‘Nah. Even though I can’t play, I’ve got to find some way that I can stick with the game and still be part of the team.’”
It’s one thing to be a manager for a high school team, a role that often includes keeping track of the scorebook and rooting on the team. There are many more responsibilities that come with being a Major League skipper, which Brockway learned while shadowing Hyde.
Growing up in a family filled with Orioles fans, Brockway got to live out a dream on Tuesday.
Shortly after Brockway arrived at Camden Yards, he was escorted to the O’s clubhouse, where he spotted right-hander Tyler Wells, who served as Baltimore’s starting pitcher on Tuesday.
“I know he’s a tall guy, but he’s pretty big,” Brockway said of the 6-foot-8 Wells.
Brockway then got to visit the indoor batting cages, where he watched Gunnar Henderson take some swings. As Brockway and Hyde headed toward their joint pregame press conference, they spotted All-Star relievers Félix Bautista (6-foot-8) and Yennier Cano (6-foot-4).
“Let me tell you, they’re big, too,” Brockway said.
It continued to be a surreal day for Brockway, who was later taken onto the field -- along with his parents, Matt and Lisa -- for Orioles batting practice. He mingled with the players. Then, for quite some time, he stood between Hyde and general manager Mike Elias behind the cage, getting to watch his favorite O’s put in their pregame work.
Brockway showed up to the ballpark in an Adley Rutschman T-shirt. But he received his own customized No. 7 jersey with “Luke” across the back, as well as a City Connect hat, both of which he donned on the field.
“This is fantastic,” Brockway said. “I mean, I’m sure you can tell, it’s hard to speak because of how excited I am. It means a lot, especially because I’m not able to play baseball anymore.”
The Orioles were more than happy to host Brockway and to give him a glimpse into Hyde’s role.
“It’s so cool for us,” Hyde said. “When we’re in this with the same group of people every single day, it becomes normal. And you realize that we’re super fortunate. Just to hear his passion for the game of baseball, to have our players see it ... it definitely puts everything into perspective.
“I just love his passion for baseball.”
That’s why Hyde was more than confident in the ability of Brockway -- who broke down how Baltimore’s lineup was set up for success against Los Angeles right-hander Michael Grove and assessed the state of the Orioles’ bullpen heading into the matchup -- to share the managerial duties.
“Sounds like he knows what he’s doing,” Hyde said. “We’re in great hands.”
Brockway, who has an interest in sports medicine and hopes to one day have a career in physical therapy, expressed similar faith in the O’s.
“I’m very confident in our boys tonight getting the win,” Brockway said.