BALTIMORE -- In the back-right corner of the Orioles’ newly renovated clubhouse at Camden Yards, two words have been painted onto the wall: “Day One.”
The mantra was established by manager Craig Albernaz early in his first year on the job, as the new skipper emphasized it during the club’s first team meeting of Spring Training.
“You can change two words, it just changes your whole mindset, right?” Albernaz said earlier this week. “It’s one day you want to win the World Series. One day, you want to be Rookie of the Year. One day, MVP. But if you flip those two words -- Day One -- this is Day One of us working toward being a World Series champion. This is Day One of you working toward being an MVP.”
In many ways, Thursday was truly Day One of what Baltimore believes could be a new era of O’s baseball. There was a new jumbo videoboard in center field at Camden Yards, a new superstar at first base (Pete Alonso), a new manager in the dugout and new faces all around.
Perhaps most importantly, a new culture has seemingly been established.
On Day One, the Orioles earned one win -- a 2-1 Opening Day victory over the Twins -- and entertained a sellout crowd of 42,134. Trevor Rogers navigated seven stellar innings, new utility man Blaze Alexander knocked an RBI single during a two-run rally in the seventh, new closer Ryan Helsley earned the save and Albernaz was victorious in his MLB managerial debut.
But Day One was about much more than one win. It was a reset -- proof that Baltimore is choosing to forget about last year’s unexpected 75-87, last-place performance and planning to reopen its window to contend for a World Series championship.
Moments throughout the day showed why that could be possible, from the arrival of Alonso -- who received a standing ovation and tipped his helmet to the fans ahead of his first at-bat -- to a well-played all-around game. Day One was a good start to the O’s quest for a bounce-back 2026 campaign.