Gunnar Henderson rallies Orioles before Tigers win in 10th

BALTIMORE — As the Orioles missed an opportunity to potentially clinch a postseason berth on Saturday, they were served a reminder of what October can feel like on a late-September evening at Camden Yards.

A raucous crowd with an announced attendance of 39,647. A close, competitive game featuring two contending teams. A palpable energy circulating the ballpark, where all of the occupants are hanging on nearly every pitch.

It may have resulted in a loss for Baltimore, but this may have been a needed practice run.

The O’s nearly pulled off an exciting comeback against the Tigers, but they fell short during a 6-4, 10-inning loss. Gunnar Henderson tied the game with a two-run double in the ninth before Detroit forced extras and then prevailed.

“It felt like the stakes were high and two teams really fighting to get into the postseason,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “A lot of benches emptied, and a lot of bullpen guys used. It was a heck of a game. Unfortunately, we just didn’t finish it.”

If the Orioles (86-69) had won, then they could have punched their ticket to October if the Mariners had lost to the Rangers later in the night. However, Seattle was victorious. Baltimore will have another opportunity to clinch Sunday, when it will again need both a win over Detroit and a Seattle loss at Texas.

There’s already been a lot of thrilling action at Camden Yards this week. Anthony Santander gave the slumping Orioles a needed jolt with a walk-off two-run homer in Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Giants. Then, Baltimore slugged a season-high five home runs in Friday’s 7-1 victory against Detroit.

Although the O’s trailed, 4-2, heading to the bottom of the ninth on Saturday, it felt like they still had a chance to win. That feeling was amplified after they loaded the bases with no outs via consecutive singles from Heston Kjerstad and Emmanuel Rivera and a walk by Jackson Holliday.

Henderson, who was named 2024 Most Valuable Oriole earlier in the day, came through in a key spot, knocking a two-bagger to right-center off right-hander Jason Foley to knot the game at 4. It was fitting for the 23-year-old to serve as a late hero on an evening when fans received a giveaway T-shirt bearing his name and number.

“Just try not to do too much,” Henderson said of his mindset in the big moment. “I feel like I’ve got caught up kind of doing that recently and was able to just take a deep breath, go up there and just take what he gives me.”

With runners on second and third and three chances to cash in one run, a Baltimore win felt inevitable at that point. Especially with Cedric Mullins, Santander and Colton Cowser serving as the next three hitters to step to the plate.

However, Mullins grounded out. Then, Santander popped out to shallow left field on a tremendous catch made by shortstop Trey Sweeney. Finally, Cowser flied out to left, as righty Beau Brieske sent the game to the 10th.

“We have confidence in the guys, and I know that normally, about nine times out of 10, we put together a good at-bat and get that run in,” Henderson said. “It just didn’t happen to go our way today.”

Detroit immediately reclaimed the lead in the 10th on Riley Greene’s first-pitch, go-ahead RBI single off Yennier Cano. The Tigers later pushed their advantage to 6-4 on a Zach McKinstry sac fly, and the O’s went down quietly without scoring a run in the bottom of the inning.

This one may not have gone in the Orioles’ favor. But ones in the postseason — the ones that will matter more — could.

“Obviously, it’s a disappointing aspect. We want to win every game,” said left-hander Cade Povich, who allowed two runs in five innings. “I think still, that last inning, scoring those two runs before going into extras, shows the fight that this team has. I think the momentum can still carry us into the next few games and the rest of the season.”

The O’s have seven games to play, and it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that they’ll catch the first-place Yankees (91-64) in the American League East. New York has a five-game lead after winning 10-0 in Oakland on Saturday night.

But Baltimore has a four-game advantage over Kansas City (82-73) for the top AL Wild Card spot. So it sure seems like Sunday’s rubber game between the Orioles and the Tigers won’t be the final game played at Camden Yards this year, as the O’s could be hosting a best-of-three Wild Card Series beginning on Oct. 1.

If that happens to be the case, then Baltimore will get at least a few more nights like Saturday, which featured an environment quite suitable for this time of year.

“These games, they all matter, they’re all meaningful,” Henderson said. “Just got to treat them one game at a time.”