You can’t win 100 games until you win one.

It isn’t “Fly Different,” but the Orioles might want to borrow the phrase for Opening Day. Free of charge.

The season begins this afternoon with first pitch against the Twins scheduled for 3:05 p.m. Craig Albernaz will manage for the first time in the regular season – his team, his coaching staff, his players, a shared vision of winning a championship.

“Opening Day always hits differently, but especially here in Baltimore,” he said. “Opening up at home with our crowd behind us, it’s going to be special. And honestly, I just can’t wait to hear that ‘O’ during the national anthem. So that’s gonna be a special part of it.”

Albernaz could claim that he won’t have any butterflies, but he’d be lying. He has a favorite saying that he shares with close friend and Nationals manager Blake Butera, who’s also debuting today in Chicago.

“If you stay nervous, you don’t get nervous,” Albernaz said.

“There’s always nerves. I think you should have nerves. I think the players should have nerves. It keeps you on edge, right? Those nerves are there for a reason. And I think when you don’t have those nerves, that’s when you overlook some things or you get too comfortable. So for us, we want to make sure as a coaching staff that we’re in tune with everything and making sure our players have what they need to go out there to win the game, and whatever information that is, conversations. But yeah, there will be nerves. There will be nerves for every single game.”

Rosters had to be set by noon yesterday and the Orioles couldn’t resist destroying one more mock by adding reliever Anthony Nunez about three weeks after he was optioned to minor league camp.

Honestly, who had Nunez in Baltimore?

I had Keegan Akin going on the injured list, but I assumed that the last two spots would come from a group consisting of Jackson Kowar, Albert Suárez and Yaramil Hiraldo. Kowar was designated for assignment and Suárez was reassigned to Triple-A Norfolk. Hiraldo was the lone survivor.  

“Thinking about making the Opening Day roster wasn’t even on my mind,” Hiraldo said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I was honestly here focused on doing my work, knowing that they control all of that.

“I had all the confidence in that, but I also understand that it’s a business at the end of the day, so when you have options available, you never know what that decision might look like and knowing what decision they might take. But I did have all the confidence that I’d make it.”

I wish I could say the same.

Grant Wolfram became a slam dunk with Akin sidelined by a strained left groin – I guess we’re done calling it an “adductor” – but he didn’t really need any help after a dominant spring. There wasn’t any reason to cut him.

Wolfram also is a first-time resident on an Opening Day roster.

“Definitely some nerves. You never really know, for sure, until they say something to you,” he said.

“I was just trying to go out there and do what I do best and get ahead of hitters and get outs. I wasn’t really trying to focus on like, if I end up in Norfolk, if I make the team, whatever. I was just trying to take it one pitch at a time, take it day-by-day and try not to look too far ahead.”

Wolfram found out that he made the club after his last outing in spring training.

“Obviously, a dream come true and just excited to get going with this group and kind of have a little comeback tour with the team,” he said. “Get off on the right foot early on in the season.”

Coby Mayo also joined the first-timers club – there are eight members including catcher Samuel Basallo, outfielder Dylan Beavers, infielder/outfielder Jeremiah Jackson and reliever Dietrich Enns. He was a beast at bat, finishing 14-for-37 (.378) with three doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs in 15 games. And he fills a need at third base with Jordan Westburg on the injured list.

“It’s super exciting,” he said. “Being in the big leagues is great always, getting called up was great during the year, but I think breaking with the team and … I feel like I earned this spot, I don’t feel like it was given to me. So that’s always a good confidence booster going into the season.”

You just never know.

Mayo was viewed as a trade candidate after the Orioles signed first baseman Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million deal and tendered a contract to Ryan Mountcastle, who signed for $6.787 million and received a $7.5 million club option for 2027. Mayo was supposed to make a permanent move to first base but went back to third and is starting.

“There’s a lot of talk from everybody, and I think the best way that you can kind of block that out is to live in the moment, go day-by-day in the offseason, and that’s how I lived in the offseason was just worry about today and if something happens, I’ll be ready for it. Whether that was changing positions, trade, someone gets hurt,” Mayo said.

“I wasn’t going to let a signing or something block me from being the best player I can be, especially after a really good month to end my season. I knew how good I could be in this league and I knew that if I came in with just a good head space and a good mentality in spring training that I could have a really good spring training that leads me into a good first month, second month, whatever it is. I’m kind of taking that same approach now with Opening Day, and just gonna work my butt off and be ready.”

Mayo didn’t find out that he’d break camp with the team until last Friday in Tampa, a day after walloping a 404-foot, two-run homer off Yankees left-hander Max Fried at an exit velocity of 110.3 mph.

“Good moment, obviously,” he said. “After the spring that I had, I expected it, but still great to hear from (Albernaz). He was very pleased with my spring and really happy with where I was at. … Hearing that was a big sigh of relief and a moment of gratitude.”

Albernaz saw Mayo signing autographs for some young fans and called him over to the bench.

“I think he tried to get me a little bit,” Mayo said, “He was like, ‘Uh, I don’t want to tell you this, but,’ and he told me I made the team. So I was just super happy.”

The Orioles didn’t non-tender or trade Mountcastle. They also shut out the noise and made him an important part of their roster.

President of baseball operations Mike Elias disputed on the last day of camp that Mountcastle likely would serve as a bench bat.

“I don’t know that that will be the extent of his role,” Elias said. “We’re able to use him. We have a DH spot, we have first base reps. I mean, Pete’s not going to play 162 there. We have the ability to rotate him through the DH spot. And Mounty has historically been great against left-handed pitching, and so I think he’s gonna be a frontline player for us against a lot of opponents, and we’ll see what the year brings.

“We believe in his stick. He’s had back luck the last couple years, both injury-wise and just results, and that’s just a really good hitter to have on your team. And so, we’ll figure out a way to help him impact games for us.”

Opening Day might have a little bit of a different feel for Mountcastle just because of the uncertainty surrounding his future in Baltimore, how he wasn’t sure whether to say his goodbyes during the final series in 2025.

“Anytime you can make any Opening Day roster and be out here, it’s a blessing,” he said, “so that’s how I’m gonna go into the season, just excited to get going and do everything I can to help produce, whatever that role is.”

Mountcastle can find the humor in the many questions he fielded last season and in spring training about to his situation, only to wind up at the same Camden Yards locker.

“I know, it’s crazy,” he said. “There was a little bit of talk, but we’re here and I’m ready to get going.”

The role, meanwhile, will evolve over time.

“I don’t have like any schedule mapped out or anything, but if I’m going good I’m sure I’ll get some starts – lefties, whatever it is,” he said. “Just gonna be ready for my moment.”

Note: Second baseman Jackson Holliday, as he wanted, is beginning his injury rehab assignment Friday with Norfolk in the Tides’ opening game against Nashville.

Holliday is on the 10-day injured list after undergoing surgery Feb. 12 to remove a broken right hamate bone. The injury occurred a week earlier during a live batting practice session in Sarasota.

Holliday is eligible to return from the IL on April 1.