“We’re the ones playing the games. We haven’t lived up to our expectations.."
The Baltimore Orioles’ clubhouse has felt plenty of emotions in recent years, joy from a 101-win season in 2023, heartbreak from playoff exits, and optimism about a young core with sky-high potential. But nothing quite prepared them for this.
STATEMENT FROM THE ORIOLES pic.twitter.com/oDdvTO2b8W
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 17, 2025
Brandon Hyde’s firing on Saturday, following a dismal 15-29 start, wasn’t a surprise. It was, however, deeply personal.
To many inside that room, Hyde wasn’t just a manager. He was the guy who weathered the tanking years, nurtured the current generation of stars, and gave them the leash, and belief, to thrive. And now, as the season unravels, they’re left wondering if they let him down.
Orioles Shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who has blossomed under Hyde’s watch, summed up what several Orioles echoed in the wake of the news.
Several players react to the news of Brandon Hyde being relieved of managerial duties. pic.twitter.com/bNpcsVDJoQ
— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) May 17, 2025
“He’s put me in a lot of great positions to succeed, and I can’t thank him enough for everything he’s done,” Henderson said. “I hate it for him and his family.”
ALSO READ: Orioles’ Skipper Brandon Hyde Becomes Third Manager Casualty of MLB 2025
Infielder Ramon Urias added, “It’s really tough. He’s the only manager I’ve played for in the big leagues so far, and obviously, I’m so grateful for the opportunity that he gave me. We’re going to miss him as a person.”
Even Jackson Holliday, the 21-year-old top prospect only just getting his feet wet in the majors, took ownership of the team’s failures.
“He’s not the one playing the games,” Holliday said. “We’re the ones playing the games. We haven’t lived up to our expectations, and it’s difficult.”
Center fielder Cedric Mullins, one of Hyde’s longest-tenured players, fought back tears. “I feel like I failed him in a way, just not being able to perform continuously and help get us some wins across the board.”
Cedric Mullins took the Brandon Hyde firing pretty hard.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 18, 2025
(Via: @JCalvinMeyer) pic.twitter.com/sbNrJWPAiI
Brandon Hyde may not have delivered postseason wins, but no one could accuse him of walking away from a challenge. He took over a rebuilding Orioles team in 2019 and endured years of 100-loss seasons, developing a reputation as a steady hand through chaotic times. In 2023, he was named AL Manager of the Year after leading Baltimore to a 101-61 record and a division title. But the team’s Wild Card in 2024 exit marked the start of a slide that only got worse with each passing month. That decline, though, wasn’t entirely Hyde’s doing.
Baltimore’s front office entered the 2025 season riding a wave of goodwill but failed to capitalize. Ownership let ace Corbin Burnes walk in free agency. He was replaced by veterans Charlie Morton (8.35 ERA) and Kyle Gibson (13.11 ERA), who’ve struggled to make it out of the third inning most nights. The club’s 5.31 ERA is third-worst in the league.
Injuries have ravaged both the rotation and the lineup, Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, and Jordan Westburg have all missed time, and the depth behind them simply hasn’t been good enough.
Meanwhile, the offense, once the engine of Baltimore’s youth-driven rise, has sputtered. The Orioles rank in the bottom third in both runs scored and team defense. And that regression has come with a striking lack of urgency from the front office.
Firing Hyde doesn’t solve Baltimore’s problems. If anything, it’s an acknowledgment that those problems are now too big for even a trusted manager to mask. The players know that. And based on their reactions, they know the blame doesn’t lie with Hyde alone.
Brandon Hyde finishes his Orioles tenure with a 421-492 record across seven seasons, three winning campaigns, and a resume that includes guiding one of baseball’s most dramatic turnarounds. But he also leaves without a single postseason win to show for it.
ALSO READ: MLB Reinstates Pete Rose and Joe Jackson – Hall of Fame Back on the Table
Still, to the people in the dugout, Hyde’s legacy goes beyond numbers. It’s about what he built, and how much of that they now feel responsible for breaking.
Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master's student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld's hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he's a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world's chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.
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