Orioles make playoffs, and here are some reasons why

• The Orioles haven't made the playoffs since 1997
• Re-purposed veterans such as Nate McLouth and Chris Davis have had a huge impact
• Closer Jim Johnson has 50 saves in 53 opportunities
• Baltimore is 28-9 in one-run games

All together now: The Baltimore Orioles are going to the playoffs.

Not since 1997 has postseason baseball been contested in Charm City, a period that saw a proud franchise deteriorate and fans grow disillusioned by owner Peter Angelos' questionable management.

But by virtue of the Los Angeles Angels' loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday night, the Orioles are in. Oh, that result also put the Rangers and Yankees in, but late October baseball is old hat to them.

The Orioles? Somehow, they evolved into a team equipped not only to break a string of 15 straight losing campaigns, but also go toe-to-toe with the AL East beasts. They're at 92 wins and in a dead heat with the Yankees, in fact, entering the season's final three games.

How? Who? Why?

Good questions. Herewith, a few Orioles fun facts to chew on, so you can dazzle your friends seconds before the same words come out of Tim McCarver's mouth:

• Chris Davis has 31 home runs. Who? Yes, there's that question again. Davis once was a prized Texas Rangers power prospect who had trouble putting bat on ball in Arlington. Soon, he was buried on the depth chart as the Rangers became the class of the AL. But given the chance to fail in Baltimore - this will be his first season with more than 400 at-bats - he has found success, homering in five of the O's last six games. And he set the tone for Baltimore's unlikely success this season with two scoreless innings pitched in a 17-inning win at Boston. Which reminds us.
• The Orioles are awfully good at repurposing other teams' leftovers. Davis is one of a few erstwhile Rangers contributing, along with key set-up reliever Darren O'Day. Shortstop J.J. Hardy was acquired from Minnesota when the Twins opted to sign a middle infielder who has since forfeited $3 million to go back to Japan. Mark Reynolds still strikes out a ton, but the former Diamondback has some sock. Jason Hammel, their best pitcher most of the year, is a Rays and Rockies retread. Talk about working the edges.
• Nate McLouth is alive. And primed to become the first player to bat leadoff and play left field on a playoff team in the same season he was released the Pittsburgh Pirates. OK, we didn't double-check that one, but, c'mon. McLouth is somehow producing a .787 on-base plus slugging percentage after logging a .385 OPS in two months as a Pirate this year.
• Manny Machado is doing his hero proud. It's to be expected that a big, physical South Florida kid who plays shortstop would idolize Alex Rodriguez. Now, at 20, Machado has a chance to play in the postseason, as A-Rod did in 1996. Oh, Rodriguez hit .358 with 36 homers and finished second in MVP voting in his 20-year-old year - when Machado was 4 years old. But Machado, playing third for now, has displayed advanced instincts at his tender age, all while smacking seven homers in 181 at-bats. Things break right, he'll face his idol in the playoffs.
• A reliever may be their MVP. Certainly Adam Jones has the MVP-type pedigree - a .288 average, 32 homers, Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field, etc. But when a team is 28-9 in one-run games, wins 16 straight extra-inning games and its closer puts up 50 saves in 53 chances, well, it's hard to put a value on what Jim Johnson brings to the table.
• Buck Showalter gets to enjoy his handiwork. The Yankees, Diamondbacks and Rangers all made the World Series after he left. Now, one of baseball's sharpest minds is back in the postseason for the first time since his '95 Yankees blew a 2-0 lead to Seattle. Showalter has guided the Orioles through a maze of close shaves all season. Now, the contests only get tighter. Buckle up, indeed.