BALTIMORE — Just two and a half months shy of his 21st birthday and legal drinking age, Jackson Holliday was given his own brand of bubbly in the lavish Baltimore Orioles clubhouse: a bottle labeled “Baby Bird Bath Water” left in a bucket near his number 7 jersey and a sign that read “BABY’S FIRST CLINCHMAS 2024.”

“It’s a little more fun for me,” the rookie said, holding the nonalcoholic postprandial during Tuesday night’s celebration at Yankee Stadium as teammates drank from tubes at the Orioles Hydration Station. “I was hoping I could join in on the fun.”

Baltimore is in the playoffs for the first time in a row for the first time since the 1990s, earning nothing less than a wild-card spot.

After left fielder Colton Cowser gloved Alex Verdugo’s flyout to secure a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees that put Baltimore on the brink of the postseason, the Orioles walked into a visiting clubhouse draped in protective plastic curtains. Nine minutes later, while manager Brandon Hyde answered postgame questions from the media, Carlos Correa recorded a third strike to end Minnesota’s 4-1 loss to Miami and secure the Orioles another trip to the postseason.

“Last year, winning the American League East was an accomplishment for us and expectations were much lower,” general manager Mike Elias said. “We came into this year with higher expectations. We made a lot of moves that put some chips in this year and then we just didn’t have the luck that we were hoping for. I think we have a sense of relief today.”

After winning their first division title since 2014, the Orioles started 23-11 and were 55-31 before the July 3 game, but have since gone 32-39, slowed by a series of injuries. The Orioles have held sole possession of the division for 62 days, holding a lead of as much as three games.

Baltimore’s pitching staff lost Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells to elbow injuries that required surgeries. Grayson Rodriguez has not pitched since July 31 with a lat problem.

“Not much has gone right the last couple of months,” Hyde said. “We’ve been good in every game and things just haven’t gone our way. And a lot of bad luck too.”

Dean Kremer, who allowed one run and three hits in five innings for the win, started last year’s game against Tampa Bay that helped the Orioles clinch their first playoff berth since 2016. Eleven days later, he claimed the victory in the AL East final, giving the Orioles 100 wins for the first time since 1980. He then lost the final game of the Division Series, helping Texas complete a three-game sweep en route to the Rangers’ first World Series title.

“This will be a kind of fresh start. We don’t have to grind now,” Kremer said.

As this year’s postseason approaches, the Orioles are getting healthier. All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg returned from a broken hand Sunday, the same day that third baseman Ramón Urías returned from a sprained right ankle. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle was activated Tuesday after a month-long absence with a sprained left wrist.

Baltimore has a formidable force: the Orioles hit 228 home runs, second only to the Yankees’ 230.

“We know what kind of group we have,” said All-Star right fielder Anthony Santander, who hit a home run off the foul pole in right field in the sixth inning for his career-high 100 RBIs and home run total.

Baltimore was eliminated in the AL Championship Series in 1996 and ’97. The Orioles (88-70) have only a slim chance of overtaking the Yankees (92-66) for the AL East title — they need to go 4-0 to the Yankees 0-4. But they have a four-game lead for the top wild card, which would mean they’ll have to play in the best-of-three Wild Card Series at Camden Yards next week.

“I hope we get an equal number of chances in the play-offs,” said Elias, “because last year it was exactly the other way around.”