Last February, when the Orioles acquired Corbin Burnes, they dreamed about him taking the mound on a brisk October day.

They needed an ace, someone who could be relied upon to pitch a near-spotless playoff game. Kyle Bradish, their No. 1 starter in 2023, was injured with a UCL sprain, his season uncertain as the team knew that more likely than not, he would need to get Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery.

So the Orioles gave up two promising young players in pitcher DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz, sending away a part of their future to the Brewers to get Burnes and win now.

All season, with the exception of three starts in August, Burnes gave the Orioles top-tier performances, pitching to a 2.92 ERA and making every start as scheduled.

On Tuesday, the moment the front office envisioned finally arrived. Their ace, on the mound in a playoff game.

He more than lived up to the circumstance; he dazzled, pitching into the ninth inning and allowing just one run. He did exactly what the Orioles hoped he would when they pulled the trigger on the trade six months ago.

Except it may have been for nothing. The Orioles offense failed to score as the Royals shut them out 1-0. Burnes was credited with the loss, despite it being one of the best postseason starts in recent franchise history.

If they don’t beat the Royals on Wednesday, the Orioles’ season will be over, and with it potentially Burnes’ time with the team. The 29-year-old will be a free agent after this season.

“I’m not thinking about that right now,” he said when asked about his time with the team.

Burnes, a Cy Young winner and four-time All-Star, will likely seek a contract worth more than $200 million. The Orioles have never come close to awarding a contract with that figure. The largest deal they have handed out was a seven-year, $161 million deal to Chris Davis that included $42 million of deferred payments.

But this is new ownership, with a group led by David Rubenstein agreeing to buy a majority stake in the team at the end of January and acquiring the remaining shares in August, and this will be the first test. Tuesday was as good of an indication as any that Burnes will be worth the money.

He made just one mistake, in the sixth, walking the Royals’ ninth hitter Maikel Garcia, who only hit .231 in the regular season. He’s dangerous when he gets on base, stealing 37 bases this year, and if Burnes has one trouble spot, it’s his ability to hold runners. Garcia stole second, then advanced to third on a groundout. Manager Brandon Hyde let Burnes decide if he should pitch to Bobby Witt Jr., the regular-season batting champion. Burnes did, and Witt Jr. hit a single.

Garcia crossed the plate, and that ended up being the difference in the game — the only run either team would score.

“The walk hurt, the walk cost us the game,” Burnes said. “I attack him a little better and don’t walk him, we get through there and it’s a 0-0 ballgame and we’ve got a chance. Unfortunately, the one big swing today from Bobby decided that game.”

Burnes was only at 83 pitches when he came out for the ninth inning, but he was removed after Garcia hit a single to open the inning.

“He threw the ball extremely well,” catcher James McCann said. “It was the first time this whole season he’s gone into the ninth inning, so to do that in the first game of the playoffs is huge. You tip your cap to Corbin — he did a heck of a job.”

One walk shouldn’t have made the difference, nor should it be what’s remembered from what could be Burnes’ only playoff start with the Orioles. His eight innings were the most by an Orioles pitcher in a postseason game since Mike Mussina in Game 6 of the 1997 American League Championship Series.

The outcome of that game? Also a 1-0 loss for the Orioles.

Mussina, though, still had three more seasons with the Orioles. This may have been all for Burnes.

“It’s baseball,” Burnes said. “The postseason usually is won with one big swing. Today, it was only one swing the entire game that meant anything. We have to come out, regroup, face another tough arm tomorrow. We’re looking forward to it. The fans were there. The fans were excited. We’ve got to come out and play a good game tomorrow.”