It was a scene that has become all too familiar to the Orioles.

A win-or-go-home game that eluded them, with players sinking into their seats in the dugout as they watched another promising season slip away.

Only this year it should have been different. They learned from the mistakes they made last year when they were swept in the American League Division Series, they claimed. They knew what to expect this year, they reiterated, so they would be better prepared. And now they had a real top prospect in Corbin Burnes and a solid No. 2 in Zach Eflin, two veterans who had been in these big spots before.

None of that made a difference.

The Orioles were swept in the postseason for the second year in a row when the Royals won Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series 2-1 on Wednesday. Kansas City now heads to New York to take on the Yankees in the American League Division Series. The Orioles will have to wait all winter before they can try again.

“This hurt,” manager Brandon Hyde said. Then he paused. A loud cheer from the celebrating Royals in the visitors’ clubhouse interrupted his thoughts.

“We had chances to win both games,” he continued. “Last year Game 1 opportunity was not won, after which the next two got out of hand. This year it felt like these were two winnable games.”

The Orioles dropped their 10th straight playoff game, dating back to the 2014 American League Championship Series, another sweep by the Royals.

“Disappointed,” said infielder Jordan Westburg. “Broken. Maybe sad. … It’s going to sting a little bit. You spend the whole season with these guys, and it ends so quickly. It just sucks.”

Since their last win, the Orioles have undergone a complete rebuild, gutting their roster and enduring three 100-loss seasons to acquire and develop young talent that could get it back on track. Finally, they were on the other side, making the postseason in back-to-back seasons. But success in October did not find them. They have a roster that includes three former No. 1 prospects, an American League Rookie of the Year candidate and the third-best home run hitter in the majors.

But when it came time to score a hit with runners in scoring position, for the second year in a row, none of that talent came through.

“I think this will stick around for a little while longer,” midfielder Cedric Mullins said. “The second time you experience the same thing is more frustrating.”

They were eliminated in Game 1 on Tuesday. In Game 2, Mullins, one of the only remaining players to see the rebuild from start to finish, scored the only Orioles run of the series with a home run in the fifth inning.

After the homerun, Ramón Urías singled, Gunnar Henderson walked and Westburg reached on an error. The bases were loaded with no outs, a prime opportunity for the Orioles to take the lead. Yet they fell short again. Anthony Santander hit a weak pop-up, Colton Cowser struck out on a pitch that hit him in the hand, and Adley Rutschman grounded out on a center-center pitch.

The season wasn’t over yet: they still had four innings to go, twelve outs to survive another day. They were never more than a point behind in any series; one swing could have changed everything. But as the game progressed, the batters’ at-bats became more desperate.

The Orioles’ young stars, so carefully groomed for this moment, collapsed. Henderson went 0-for-7 in the series and swung at a pitch well outside the strike zone in the seventh inning as if trying to get a hit off his bat. Santander and Rutschman each scored only one hit, but singles that didn’t end made the difference.

“We know what type of offense we are, and it just wasn’t on our side,” Santander said. “I don’t think we were able to do it with runners in scoring position, especially myself. I’m quite disappointed because I know I could have done better for the team.”

While the offense was struggling, the pitching staff kept the team in position. Burnes pitched into the ninth inning on Tuesday and allowed just one run while taking the loss. Eflin allowed one run in four innings on Wednesday, with Hyde pulling him conservatively on 75 pitches. He opted to rely on his bullpen for five innings, using almost every available pitcher to keep the season alive, and they delivered, allowing just one run.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the Orioles down to three outs, Mullins and Urías grounded out. Two nil down.

It was up to Henderson. This was his chance, his time to show he can be an October player.

He struckout for the third time in the game.

Another promising season is over, just like that.

“I don’t know, we had some chances,” Henderson said. “We went out there and fought our butts. Some close games just didn’t get through.”

When the Royals took the field to celebrate after the final out, the Orioles stood still, frozen in the home dugout, watching what could have happened. They retreated to the clubhouse, where they walked one by one to their lockers. The sounds of hugs and slaps on the back were the only sounds inside.

There will be bags to be packed, decisions to be made and new players to be signed. But for now, right now, all they feel is heartbreak over another early exit in October.

“At this point you just tell everyone you love them,” Henderson said. “We did everything we could.”