The final five playoff berths were clinched on Saturday, the second-to-last day of the regular season, by the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Houston Astros, the Miami Marlins, the Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays.
The field of 12 is now set, with only the first-round matchups remaining to be decided yesterday.
In Seattle, Bruce Bochy had a bottle of bubbly in his hand as he watched the celebration of a turnaround that few expected in his first season in charge of Texas.
Photo: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY
“This is what I came back for and there’s nothing like it,” Bochy said. “It’s been some kind of ride so far, and we’ve got a lot of work to do, but to be in this moment right now these are memories you never forget and for these guys I couldn’t be happier.”
The Rangers are back in the post-season for the first time since 2016, beating the Seattle Mariners 6-1 to clinch a playoff spot in the American League (AL).
Texas (90-71) can claim the AL West title and the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs with a win over the Mariners in the regular-season finale or a loss by the Houston Astros (89-72) to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Photo: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY
After a traditional clinching celebration in the middle of the clubhouse, the Rangers crowded into a dining room to watch the final outs of Houston’s 1-0 win over the Diamondbacks. That victory pushed the division race to the final day and also eliminated the Mariners from the post-season race, falling short a year after ending a 21-year playoff drought.
In Phoenix, the Diamondbacks celebrated their return to the post-season, despite the loss, with the typical party, a champagne-soaked fun fest in the clubhouse that eventually included a dip in the Chase Field swimming pool behind the right-center field wall.
The Astros also celebrated their return to the post-season by doing — well, not much of anything.
Manager Dusty Baker said there was a post-game toast after the win and some bright orange playoff T-shirts were passed out among players, coaches and staff. Other than that, it was hard to tell anything important had just happened.
“The celebration was a bit muted,” Verlander said. “Keep your eye on the prize.”
The Diamondbacks backed into the bracket, thanks to the Cincinnati Reds’ 15-6 loss to the St Louis Cardinals. Arizona’s seeding could change depending on yesterday’s results, which also could determine whether the Marlins have to fly back to New York today to finish a suspended game with the New York Mets.
It is the first playoff appearance for Arizona since 2017. The D-backs went 52-110 in 2021.
They are just the third team in MLB history to go from a 110-plus loss season to a playoff berth in a three-season span, joining this year’s Baltimore Orioles and the 2013-15 Astros.
“We lost 110 games two years ago and we just punched a ticket to the post-season,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “We are one of the top teams in the National League and that didn’t happen by luck. It happened because we were a trustworthy group and ready to compete every single night.”
The Marlins clinched their fourth playoff berth in franchise history with a 7-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, while the Blue Jays grabbed a berth despite losing 7-5 to the Tampa Bay Rays in 10 innings.
In Saturday’s other games, the Atlanta Braves beat the Washington Nationals 5-3, the Orioles topped the Boston Red Sox 5-2, the San Francisco Giants pipped the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1, the Chicago Cubs outplayed the Milwaukee Brewers 10-6 and the Minnesota Twins dominated the Colorado Rockies 14-6.
The Mets edged the Phillies 4-3 in their early game before dominating them 11-4 in the late game, while the New York Yankees survived the Kansas City Royals 5-2, the San Diego Padres defeated the Chicago White Sox 6-1, the Detroit Tigers blanked the Cleveland Guardians 8-0 and the Oakland Athletics downed the Los Angeles Angels 7-3.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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