Players praise Hyde as they prepare to move past rebuild and into postseason

The emotions sneaked up on Brandon Hyde again. Made his eyes water and the words stick in his throat.

The fifth-year Orioles manager keeps experiencing firsts on the job that make him reflect on the hard times and challenge him to maintain composure. Hold it together while hugging anyone who’s close to him.

“It’s really a weak point of mine,” he said yesterday with a smile. “It’s something I need to work on.”

His players wouldn’t change a thing. They appreciate the soft side that’s exposed after wins to clinch a playoff berth and division title. How he treats them. How much he cares.

If tears are shed, that’s fine. Let them trickle or flow.

“He’s the leader. He’s the captain of the ship,” said starter Kyle Bradish.

“To go through what he did his first couple years and then have last year and a 100-win season this year and win the AL East, it starts with him.”

Catcher James McCann repeated what he’s said in the past, how everyone involved deserves credit.

And then, he adds, “Every single person who’s walked through those clubhouse doors has their imprint on this team, and none more so than Brandon.”

Players love Hyde’s story, how he grinded to get here. A minor league catcher who finished in independent ball in 2001 and held just about every job in baseball. A coach and manager, a minor league field coordinator and director of player development. A background that made him a popular candidate in the winter of 2018.

“I believe that we have found the ideal leader for the next era of Orioles baseball," executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said on the day of the announcement.

Hyde had to prove it. During a torturous rebuild phase with the roster and payroll stripped and wins publicly stated as not mattering. During a pandemic and lockout after the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Rather than ask for the moon, Hyde just wanted a semblance of normalcy.

The Orioles lost 108 games in 2019 and 110 in 2021. Elias never wavered in his support, but Hyde admits that he began to wonder if he’d survive it.

“Yeah, I think when things aren’t going well, there’s times you doubt yourself, especially managing in the big leagues for the first time and blowing as many saves as we did,” Hyde said yesterday. “You feel like you’re trying to match up the best you can and not working out. You definitely do question and you’re looking for support a little bit, and Mike’s been very supportive.”

The team didn’t want Hyde to be judged by its failings. For his managerial career to fold because he was playing with a stacked deck.

“Very happy that the front office here was patient with him,” Bradish said. “They knew what kind of talent they had coming up through the system, so it was just a matter of time before those guys got here. And then, just him going through that prepared him to be right here and to cherish all these wins.”

Eighty-three last summer and 100 this season, a mark that the Orioles hadn’t reached since 1980.

“He’s been amazing all year, making all the right calls,” said first baseman Ryan Mountcastle. “We haven’t made it super easy on him. It seems like every game is a one-run game, but we find a way. Just a resilient team.”

“His attention to detail is really good,” McCann said. “His communication is really good. He’s obviously a newer-age manager. He’s younger than Buck Showalter, who I played for (with the Mets). But I wouldn’t really compare him to any one particular manager I’ve had. I think he kind of encompasses a lot of the good qualities of all the managers that I’ve played for.”

Some players can see themselves in Hyde. The guys who scratched and clawed to make it. Fingertips raw from the climb.

They’re the group that Hyde most identifies with, though he has a gift for connecting with everyone.

“Nothing’s been handed to him, either,” said reliever Danny Coulombe. “He kind of fits this team well. There’s a lot of veterans, a lot of us, it hasn’t been the easiest thing for us. Obviously, you add the first-rounders in and stuff, it’s been a little different. But he means so much to this team.

“He’s steady as can be. He trusts guys. As a player, it’s really nice to know your manager trusts you. And he definitely gives off that feel for guys. I think that allows guys to just go out and perform.”

“I think the best way I could put it is like, he went through a lot of the really tough years and whenever you have those really tough years, there’s a lot of learning experiences,” said pitcher Tyler Wells. “I think with his learning experience with the Cubs and them winning the World Series (in 2016), he was able to bring a lot of that into what it is now. I think that he’s been a true leader for all of us.

“I know personally, we’ve always talked about, ‘This is what you have to do on a winning team. This is what all the guys I’ve learned from have done and this is what has made them successful.’ For a long time, spending time with guys that he did with the Cubs with John Lackey and (Jon) Lester, I know he takes a lot of pride in that. He takes a lot of pride in being able to help a lot of younger guys. I think you can see just how much he leads this team and the young guys with his experience.

“I don’t think the managing experience for length of time really mattered to him. I know that he knows what it takes to be a winning team. That’s like the best part for him.”

Work the clubhouse for opinions of Hyde and you find the conversation moving away from the dugout. It might start there or circle back, but to get a complete picture of Hyde requires a deeper dive.

“Every single guy, he treats like family,” Mountcastle said. “A great guy to be around, a great coach, super encouraging.”

“There isn’t one player in here who I’d say doesn’t respect him,” Coulombe said. “There’s always a few for most teams, but he’s just a really good guy. He’s a great individual and you can tell he cares about you on the field, but also off the field.

“A lot of our conversations are actually not even about baseball. We were talking about football the other day. I’m a big Cardinals fan, he’s a Forty-Niners fan, so that’s been kind of a bummer for me. But we’ve had some good conversations.”

McCann arrived in the organization after a December trade with the Mets and had no previous experience with Hyde, the runner-up last fall for American League Manager of the Year and the favorite this year. He got a quick read.

“From Day One of spring training he’s had our backs as players. We all know that,” McCann said.

“He’s a great communicator and he seems to know when to push the right buttons at the right time. The moves that he makes through the course of the game, and really throughout the season, whether it’s a pinch-hitter or when to pull the starter or get another guy in the bullpen, whatever it is, it seems to be the right move at the time. There’s no one guy in there who wants to be taken out of the game or wants to be pinch-hit for, but it’s been a total buy-in from literally everyone in here of understanding that it’s not just the nine guys in the lineup that day that are trying to win the game. It’s every guy on the bench, every guy down in the bullpen. Anyone could be called on at any particular time.”

Just wait until he manages his first playoff game next Saturday in the Division Series at Camden Yards.

A guy who hoists a bottle of champagne to kickstart a celebration but would rather drink the beer in his other hand. A regular guy who’s liked and respected. Who swam through the muck of a rebuild, trusted to understand and endorse it with every stroke, and came out clean on the other side.

And whose eyes will well up again, whether he’s watching his players in a plastic-covered clubhouse or saying goodbye.

“A lot of stuff going on, you know?” he said.

“I was happy for a lot of people and very relieved, also. Proud of our club. A lot of emotions go through when the ball gets to first base for the last out. Just proud of really our players and coaches and everybody that’s kind of been through these five years. To see our guys celebrate like that and hear the fans, it was a special moment.”