NEW YORK -- This time, the path wasn¡¯t as easy for the Orioles. Not even close. The outcome -- and ensuing celebration -- still proved to be just as sweet.

The O¡¯s are heading back to October -- clinching a postseason berth via their 5-3 win over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium and a Twins loss to the Marlins on Tuesday night -- and they¡¯re confident their best baseball is to come.

¡°Our guys are really happy to take this step. But for us, we¡¯re ready to go,¡± catcher Adley Rutschman said. ¡°We¡¯re trying to get better. We¡¯re setting ourselves up for a playoff run right now, and I think our guys are just really excited to get going.¡±

In 2023, Baltimore stormed its way to 101 wins without facing much adversity. It was never swept. It never lost more than four games in a row. It cruised to the franchise¡¯s first American League East title since ¡®14 and its first postseason appearance since ¡®16.

In 2024, the Orioles¡¯ ride hasn¡¯t been nearly as smooth. There have been sweeps. There was a pair of five-game losing streaks. The second half has been filled with adversity because of a plethora of injuries and inconsistent play.

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¡°I¡¯m so proud of this group,¡± manager Brandon Hyde said in his pre-celebration speech to the O¡¯s. ¡°We have dealt with so much crap the last three months. And you guys continue to fight.¡±

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Much of the first half of the O¡¯s season felt like a carryover from last year. They were a season-high 24 games above .500 (49-25) on June 20, when they trounced the Yankees, 17-5, and made a statement that they were a threat to again win the AL East.

But Baltimore couldn¡¯t establish a ton of momentum at any point in the second half, during which it is 29-32. It hasn¡¯t won more than three consecutive games since before the All-Star break. At the same time, it hasn¡¯t dropped more than three in a row over that span, either.

Injuries plagued the Orioles¡¯ roster throughout the summer, with numerous key players -- All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg, right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and others -- missing significant periods of time.

¡°We came into the year, very high expectations, and those expectations were kind of there through July. And then, we hit a skid, and I think the expectations dropped and a little bit of nervousness set in,¡± general manager Mike Elias said. ¡°Now, we¡¯ve got the biggest milestone here. ... It¡¯s possible that we enter into the playoffs with a little different flow than we had last year. At least that¡¯s my hope.¡±

The starting point should be different, because it¡¯s highly unlikely the O¡¯s will repeat as AL East champions. They would need to win each of their final five games (two vs. the Yanks and three vs. the Twins) and have the Yankees lose each of their final five (two vs. the Orioles and three vs. the Pirates) to finish first in the division.

Baltimore has a strong chance of finishing atop the AL Wild Card standings -- where it currently sits as the No. 4 seed -- meaning it would get to host a best-of-three Wild Card Series at Camden Yards from Oct. 1-3.

¡°It¡¯s been a weird second half. Not probably what we had drawn up, but it doesn¡¯t matter. You get into the postseason and anything can happen, and that¡¯s really all that matters,¡± first baseman Ryan O¡¯Hearn said. ¡°I think there¡¯s something to be said for a hungry team. And I think we¡¯re hungry right now.¡±

Added shortstop Gunnar Henderson: ¡°Any time you can clinch playoffs is a really special moment. I feel like we¡¯re in a good position this year. We¡¯re starting to get going at the right time.¡±

Tuesday night was a prime example of that.

Over the past 10 days, the Orioles have gotten back relievers Jacob Webb and Danny Coulombe, outfielder Heston Kjerstad, Westburg, Mountcastle and infielder Ram¨®n Ur¨ªas. It¡¯s the healthiest the roster has looked since early June.

After Mountcastle got activated prior to the series opener in New York, Baltimore played a complete game that featured home runs by Anthony Santander, Colton Cowser and Ur¨ªas, five strong innings from right-hander Dean Kremer and a solid bullpen performance.

¡°I think you saw the club that you saw in the first half tonight,¡± Westburg said. ¡°This is an exciting time of the year right now. I think we have that feeling of like, ¡®All right, we¡¯re getting our dudes back,¡¯ or they are back, and it¡¯s time to go.¡±

Then, the O¡¯s looked like their 2023 version when the celebration began in the visitors¡¯ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium.

For the third time in 13 months, the Orioles celebrated and the champagne was popped. The stress of the past few months was gone for a couple of hours. Everybody looked ahead, hoping they can put together a stronger finish than last postseason, when they were swept in three games by the eventual World Series champion Rangers in the AL Division Series..

¡°Obviously, we haven¡¯t played the baseball we¡¯ve wanted to. But to come in here, beat these guys, celebrate here, it¡¯s fun,¡± said right-handed ace Corbin Burnes, acquired in a blockbuster Feb. 1 trade with the Brewers. ¡°This is step one. We¡¯ve got a lot of baseball ahead of us, and hopefully, we start playing better baseball like you saw tonight. Who knows how far we can go?¡±