The news of the Orioles cutting Craig Kimbrel was announced shortly after most players arrived at Camden Yards on Wednesday.

Kimbrel’s second-half blues came to an unceremonious end when the Orioles designated him for assignment. For many Baltimore fans who grew wary of watching the 36-year-old veteran toil in recent months, Kimbrel being let go was met with applause after some of them booed him off the mound in his final outing Tuesday.

But for the Orioles — manager Brandon Hyde, Kimbrel’s teammates and his friends in the bullpen — it was a “tough day,” as Hyde described it. Letting go of a potential Hall of Famer, no matter how poorly he’s been pitching, was difficult.

As Kimbrel’s speed bump turned into a mountain, Seranthony Domínguez took over as the Orioles’ temporary closer and then earned the title through his success in the role. Domínguez was Kimbrel’s teammate last year in Philadelphia, and they shared a bullpen again after the Orioles acquired Domínguez at the deadline.

Even though the move further cements Domínguez as Baltimore’s closer, the right-hander was sullen when he learned of the club’s decision.

“It’s really bad news for me,” he said. “He was one of the best teammates I’ve ever been around. He’s a Hall of Famer, I hope so. He’s one of the nicest guys in the clubhouse. He’s a leader for us in the bullpen. He always took care of the bullpen guys. He’s a great human.”

But that doesn’t mean Domínguez isn’t ready for his moment. He was a closer for the Phillies as a rookie in 2018 and for a brief time in 2022. He yearns for the big stage, and there is no greater one than the ninth inning of postseason games.

“If you ask any guy in the bullpen if they want to be the closer, they’re going to say yes,” he said Wednesday. “It’s that part of the game you dream of getting the last out of the World Series. If I can do that, it’s going to be a dream come true.”

Domínguez being the Orioles’ closer wasn’t the plan when executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias traded Austin Hays to Philadelphia to acquire the hard-throwing 29-year-old. But as Kimbrel floundered and Domínguez dominated, Hyde gave him a shot, and he’s largely answered the call.

“When we got him in the trade, it wasn’t the next day we’re saying Seranthony’s gonna be the closer now, it was more need at that point because Craig was struggling a little bit,” Hyde said. “We were looking for guys to be able to pitch at the end of the game and searching a little bit. … For the most part, done a really good job. He’s tough to hit, so you take a chance.”

After posting a 4.75 ERA with the Phillies, Domínguez has a 3.66 ERA in 19 2/3 innings with 26 strikeouts. He converted his first nine save opportunities before blowing his first one Thursday — a stumble that didn’t cost the Orioles thanks to Anthony Santander’s walk-off homer in the ninth. The way he blew the save was surprising as he walked the first two batters of the inning. Walks haven’t been Domínguez’s problem; the long ball has been.

In mid-August, he surrendered a home run in three straight outings, including two walk-off blasts to the New York Mets. Over the past two seasons, he’s allowed 20 homers in 105 2/3 innings for a rate of 1.7 per nine innings — remarkably high for a relief pitcher.

Another concern for Domínguez as a closer is his difficulty getting left-handed batters out. With his high-90s mph fastball and sharp slider, Domínguez is an uncomfortable at-bat for righties — as evidenced by their .186 batting average and .570 OPS against him in his career. Those numbers against lefties? A .241 average and a .737 OPS.

With any other reliever, Hyde can pick his spots to try to match up his bullpen arm against a pocket in the opposing team’s lineup. That isn’t possible with a set-and-forget closer in the ninth. That’s why Hyde said his “options will be open” as it pertains to potentially using a left-hander — either Cionel Pérez or Danny Coulombe if he returns healthy later this month — in the ninth inning if there’s a string of lefties due up for the opposing team. With Coulombe out on a minor league rehabilitation assignment and Pérez unable to pitch after tossing the seventh, Hyde turned to southpaw Gregory Soto to bail out Domínguez on Thursday.

“We’re trying to win games right now,” Hyde said. “I think everything’s on the table right now. We’re just going to try to win as many games as we can from now until the end of the year.”

Yennier Cano, the Orioles’ best reliever who Hyde uses in the game’s highest leverage moment, has saved 13 games over the past two seasons. He’s pitched worse in the ninth than as a setup man, and Hyde’s preferred to keep him in the latter role while using Domínguez as his closer.

“Since he’s come over, he’s done a great job and he’s gotten the job done,” Cano said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones. “I think we have all the confidence in him that he can continue to do that and pitch really well. When the playoffs come around, I hope he stays in that role because we have a lot of confidence in him and we feel like he can get the job done.”

A reliable bullpen is important during the regular season, but it’s even more so in the playoffs. With more days off, it allows each team’s best relievers to pitch nearly every game, and managers pull their starting pitchers earlier to take advantage of matchups during the game.

When the lights have been brightest, so has Domínguez.

In 16 career playoff innings between the 2022 and 2023 postseasons, Domínguez has allowed only two earned runs for a sparkling 1.13 ERA while striking out 25 batters.

He said he’s improved at pitching in high-pressure situations throughout his career, learning he doesn’t have to “try to be so perfect.” Some pitchers wilt in big moments. Domínguez believes he’s at his best in them.

“I feel better,” he said. “I feel better when the game depends on me.”