When the Orioles were swept out of the playoffs last year, the fact that it ran counter to the defining feature of that team wasn’t lost on its players.

“It’s an ironic situation,” center fielder Cedric Mullins said.

“We avoid sweeps the entire year, come in the postseason [and] … baseball does what it does.”

Those 101-win Orioles tore through the American League without being swept all season — a streak that dates to May 2022 — only to be defeated in three straight games by the pesky and powerful Texas Rangers in the AL Division Series.

To some fans, the remarkable sweepless streak died there.

That was the Orioles’ most important series since 2014, and they fell flat.

Baseball records, though, are based on the regular season, not the postseason.

Babe Ruth has 714 career home runs, not 729 counting his playoff long balls.

However, the AL-record streak will always have a massive caveat, an asterisk in the boldest of lettering, because of that ALDS sweep to the eventual World Series champion Rangers.

Sonny Gray and Dean Kremer will be the starting pitchers when the St. Louis Cardinals (20-26) and Baltimore Orioles (29-15) meet on Monday at 7:45 PM ET at Busch Stadium.

To watch St. Louis and Baltimore square off, read the article below, which contains information on how to stream the game live or watch it on TV.