I asked Austin Hays why he thought the Orioles started winning. His answer manifested on the field last night.

There's more to these Orioles than vibes, and one of their most tenured players has a few thoughts on why they've started winning so consistently.

Austin Hays is now one of the most tenured Orioles, having debuted at the end of his first full professional season in 2017 and before finally solidifying himself as a regular in 2020.

That timeline aligns with a lot of bad Orioles teams, and Tuesday’s 6-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays was another undeniable piece of evidence that this isn’t one of them.

Before that win, and after the Orioles took what manager Brandon Hyde boasted would go down as the fastest team picture in league history, I caught up with Hays and asked him a simple, open-ended question that was more driven by curiosity than any particular story idea.

Why do you think this team started winning?

His answer was almost prophetic, given what was going to happen on the field, and gives a glimpse into what has made this the most enjoyable season of Orioles baseball in a long time.