MINNEAPOLIS — Seven months ago, on a bright and sunny morning in Sarasota, Florida, the Orioles imagined they’d be here: enjoying Game 162 with a postseason place secured.

They might not have imagined what it would take to get here, another sunny day, albeit in Minnesota. They lost four starting pitchers to injury, were without several position players for a month or more and endured losing records in July and August. They persevered in a different way than 2023 — the comeback wins of last year were replaced by a determination to get healthy.

So here they are. The regular season is over with Sunday’s 6-2 victory against the Minnesota Twins, a game that didn’t mean much for either team beyond positive vibes heading into the postseason for the Orioles and the offseason for the Twins.

“I’m really proud of this group,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We talked about it a lot, but we’ve had quite a bit of adversity this year. Going to the big leagues and winning 91 games, it’s an incredible job by the guys in that room. Everybody in that clubhouse — coaching staff, trainers, strength and, ultimately, it’s all about the players. Really, really happy with how we played on this road trip. I thought we played as good of baseball as we’ve played for a while. Really excited about how we’re playing going into the postseason.”

Baltimore didn’t achieve all it envisioned on that Florida morning in February. The Orioles couldn’t repeat as American League East champions, but they finished with only 10 fewer wins than last year’s breakout squad. For all the difficulties the second half brought, the Orioles finished .500 after the All-Star break. And, for the first time since 1996 and 1997, Baltimore will play postseason baseball in consecutive years.

So, while what happened Sunday hardly will be remembered — all eyes now point to Tuesday, Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Kansas City Royals — it was a worthy culmination of the season.

There was Albert Suárez, an unknown right-hander entering the spring who turned into one of Baltimore’s most important arms, throwing six quality innings. James McCann, a valuable clubhouse presence, provided the loudest swing of the game. Jordan Westburg, healthy once more, added on in the seventh.

After throwing six innings, Suárez seems unlikely to appear on Baltimore’s wild-card roster. The Orioles must drop two players — from 28 to 26 — for the postseason, and with fewer starting pitchers required, Suárez could rest ahead of a potential role against the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series.

Whatever the role, Suárez will be valuable. The 34-year-old was pressed into duty because of all the injuries, but he excelled in his first season back in the majors since 2017. He finished with a 3.70 ERA in 32 appearances, with 24 starts.

“It feels good to be able to help the team throughout the season and having a positive feeling for me,” Suárez said. “It’s all positive, the season that I had.”

Without him, Baltimore might not have been able to exhale Sunday, a clinch already completed.

“As we were walking in from the bullpen today, I said, ‘Regardless of how today goes, your last start of the season, just know we’re not who we are without you,’” McCann said. “That’s saying a lot for a guy who was an invite to camp. And I think, if we would’ve said in spring training Albert Suárez was going to have as many meaningful innings as he had for us, the question would be, who went down? Obviously, we know the answer now, who went down and whose shoes he filled. He did a phenomenal job.”

McCann, it seems like, is “getting a big hit a game” when he’s in the lineup, Hyde said.

McCann’s three-run blast against right-hander Bailey Ober covered for the two solo homers against Suárez, and Westburg’s two-run single in the seventh pushed Baltimore ahead further. Then, in the eighth, Heston Kjerstad lofted his first homer since July 7 — another positive development for a player who missed ample time due to a concussion.

It has been a winding season, with more roster fluctuation than Baltimore experienced last year. But, through it all, the Orioles ended Sunday where they had envisioned themselves all those months ago.

Postseason baseball is right around the corner.

“This is what we play for,” McCann said. “This is what we talk about. This is the point in the season where regular-season stats don’t matter. Regular-season record doesn’t matter. All that matters is winning each pitch, each inning and advancing. Last year, things didn’t go our way. This year, I feel like we’re prepared to be ready to go.”