Rutschman and the Orioles host Witt and the Royals in an American League Wild Card Series of two teams with 100-loss seasons not far back in the rearview mirror. For Kansas City, it was last season, and their 30-win improvement ranks as one of the most impressive turnarounds during the past half-century.

The Baltimore Orioles won 91 games this season, and for much of the second half, it felt like a disappointment. At any point in the previous 40 years, that sentence would’ve been absurd to write about this franchise.

The Baltimore Orioles clinched a playoff spot on Tuesday with a victory against the New York Yankees and a loss by the Minnesota Twins against the Miami Marlins, thereby becoming the third American League team and the sixth team overall to secure their place in October (here's a look at the MLB playoff picture).

Tuesday starts what the Baltimore Orioles hope is a redemption tour from the playoffs last season. Sure, 24 hours before the game, it was a bit dreary in terms of the weather, but the last three months of the 2024 Major League Baseball season were a bit dreary, too.

The Orioles took the regular-season series with four victories this season. The Royals dropped two of three games in early April at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles outscored the Royals 29-27 in the season series.