Mets' Buck Showalter complimentary of Orioles in return to Baltimore - ESPN

BALTIMORE — Nobody does pregame banter quite like Buck Showalter, but after commenting on the new Topgolf facility near Camden Yards — and shying away from questions about how emotional his return to Baltimore is — the New York Mets' manager turned the conversation to this year's Orioles.

«The news is Baltimore, how well they're playing, the Orioles,» Showalter said. «That's great for the city and the organization.»

Sure enough, Baltimore beat the Mets 10-3 on Friday night. Showalter was managing at Camden Yards for the first time since 2010-2018, when he won 669 games with the Orioles, second in team history to Hall of Famer Earl Weaver. Showalter helped Baltimore become relevant again after over a decade of losing seasons, and he was the American League Manager of the Year in 2014.

His run of success eventually ended, and he was fired after a 115-loss season in 2018. Brandon Hyde succeeded him and is still managing in Baltimore.

«He was nice enough to send me a text when I got hired here, which I really appreciated,» Hyde said. «That shows the professional that he is, and I'll remember that.»

The Orioles went into another rebuild, but they've improved dramatically the last couple years and currently have the AL's best record.

«I'm really happy that the fans of the Orioles, who are as good as it gets, are getting some return for their support. Just like we hope to do with our fans in Queens,» Showalter said. «We've had some good times like last year, and we've had some challenges this year, but they're self inflicted.»

Showalter guided the Mets to a 101-win campaign in 2022. They've fallen short of expectations this year and recently traded star pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

Showalter has managed five big