Bars across Baltimore prepare for Orioles' opening day crowds

Each year, thousands of Baltimore Orioles fans flock to bars along Washington Boulevard, turning the street into a full-blown block party for opening day. 

This year, the first pitch was around 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 26. 

Pickles Pub

At the newly renovated Pickles Pub, a Baltimore staple for nearly four decades, preparations started extremely early. 

"It's the best energy you can imagine, it feels like a holiday, everyone is excited, everyone is in a good mood. It feels like Christmas morning," said Pickles Manager Madison Lester. 

Doors opened at 6 a.m. on Thursday, and Lester said there's usually already a line at that time. 

Behind the bar, it's all hands on deck for opening day. 

More than 22,000 oranges are squeezed, and hundreds of gallons of drinks are poured, all for opening day. 

Section 771 

Next door, at Section 771, named for its exact distance from home plate, the focus is simple: Good drinks and positive energy. 

"It's just good vibes, the bartenders are always having fun, and I feel like that's what you want when you're going to a ball game," Bartender Joe Rosales said.

From orange crushes to signature cocktails and even a running hot dog competition behind the bar, Section 771 pulls out all the stops for the season opener. 

As the Rosales put it, opening day is "Insane...insane slammed. Anything you can think of is just busy."

The Birdhouse Bar

This year, there's a new bar on the block, The Birdhouse Bar, sandwiched between two longtime staples. 

For General Manager Olivia Morrell, it's been a labor of love and a steep learning curve. 

"We took over the Bullpen, and it was a dump in here," Morrell said. "So, we painted, we gutted, we did a bunch of stuff, and then we were open by the end of August." 

What was once a worn-down space is now filled with thrifted Orioles memorabilia, hand-sourced decor, and months of hard work.

"Everything in here is from probably someone's man cave," Morrell said. 

 "When you come down here, everybody knows Pickles, and they know Section 771, so trying to establish ourselves as such a small fish in a big pond was really difficult," she said. 

With opening day here, The Birdhouse Bar is ready to step up to the plate. 

"We're more excited, I think, than stressed for sure!" Morrell added. 

While there may be three bars side-by-side, the people behind them say it's not about competition. 

"I really don't think of it that way," said Assistant General Manager Courtney Mitidieri. "I think that people in Baltimore also will go from bar to bar to bar."

They say most fans don't even notice the lines between them. 

"It's just a wonderful, positive vibe outside, as well, and it just brings people in," Mitidieri said. "They think it's all one big thing; they don't necessarily realize it's all separate bars."

One block, one crowd, and one big welcome back to baseball season in Baltimore.