Blue Jays clinch playoff berth with Orioles’ loss
Posted September 29, 2022 4:44 pm.
Last Updated September 29, 2022 5:09 pm.
The Toronto Blue Jays are playoff bound.
The Blue Jays (87-69) were idle on Thursday but secured a wild-card berth when the Baltimore Orioles dropped a 5-3 decision to the Boston Red Sox, eliminating them from further playoff contention.
Still to be determined is whether the Blue Jays will have home field advantage in the American League Wild Card round.
The #NextLevel awaits…
WE'RE IN! pic.twitter.com/V3npBgqQ8V
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 29, 2022
The Tampa Bay Rays (85-70) and Seattle Mariners (84-70) enter Thursday with a hold of the second and third Wild Card spots.
Should the standings remain the same, the Blue Jays would play the Rays with home-field advantage in a best-of-three series. The team that clinches the third and final Wild Card spot would play the AL Central-winning Cleveland Guardians in a similar, best-of-three series.
The Rays are in Cleveland tonight, while the Mariners play host to the Texas Rangers. The Blue Jays enter Friday’s series against the Red Sox losers of two straight.
Toronto last made the postseason in 2020, eliminated in two games by the Rays. Before that, the Jays made the playoffs in 2016 and 2017 but were eliminated in the ALCS.
After winning 91 games last year and failing to make the playoffs, Toronto has had a successful, if uneven, season that resulted in former manager Charlie Montoyo being fired 88 games into the new campaign. Interim manager John Schneider has guided the team to a 41-27 record since taking over.
The Blue Jays have six games remaining, including the aforementioned three-game series against Boston that starts tomorrow and a final, three-game series in Baltimore.
