Duquette: "We're a first-division outfit"

NEW YORK - Though the ending to the 2012 season stung the Orioles, it didn't cloud their view of what they accomplished. Executive vice president Dan Duquette said he was "proud of the effort of the whole organization." "We took some great strides forward," Duquette said after leaving manager Buck Showalter's office. "We're a first-division outfit. To win 96 games is really an accomplishment and I'm proud of the work and effort that everyone did. Obviously, we're disappointed in today's game, but we got beat by a good pitcher today. We got our opportunities in the series to win the series. Short series, you need to convert when you have the opportunity and we didn't quite convert on all of our opportunities. "The season for the organization was a successful season. Our players connected with our fans. We have a group of core players here that our fans should be able to see that we can build around and field a competitive team. I'm just really proud of all the work and effort that everyone did. "The fans are very happy, right? They're coming out to the ballpark and they're supporting the team. I think the fans played a role in helping us beat the Yankees in a couple of the ballgames we played them at home. It's really nice to see baseball front and center in Baltimore. It's a great baseball town and these guys here, they compete every night and I think our fans appreciate that." How long until Duquette starts planning for the offseason? "There's plenty of time for that," he replied. "Today, we put the postscript on a season where we improved more than any team in baseball. And we won 96 games, including three playoff games. We won a couple of playoff games that were end of the season. This team should be really proud of itself. We've got a lot to look forward to ahead."