Toronto Blue Jays clinch playoff spot with Orioles' loss to Red Sox
The Toronto Blue Jays locked up a playoff spot Thursday afternoon without taking the field, securing a berth when the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-3.
Canada's lone big-league team got the good news on an off-day ahead of Friday's series opener against the visiting Red Sox.
With downtime valuable during the stretch drive, the team was expected to celebrate the accomplishment after the series opener against the Red Sox.
It will be Toronto's first post-season appearance since the truncated 2020 campaign. With six games left to play, the Blue Jays can now turn their focus to playoff positioning.
"These guys are excited to be in this position," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after Wednesday's 8-3 loss to the New York Yankees. "You've got three really good pitchers lined up against a good Boston team, playing at home.
"So I think it's more excitement more than it's nerves or anything. I think the guys are going to come out and be ready to roll on Friday night."
If Toronto maintains its grip on the first of three American League wild-card seeds, then the Blue Jays would play at Rogers Centre for the best-of-three first-round series.
The second- and third-seeded wild-card teams would open on the road.
It's part of a new Major League Baseball playoff format this year. The top two division winners in each league get byes to the division series.
The third-ranked division winner will host the third wild-card seed (No. 6 seed overall) in one wild-card series and the top wild-card entry (No. 4 seed overall) welcomes the second wild-card seed (No. 5 overall) in the other.
Toronto has a 1 1/2-game lead on the Mariners after Seattle defeated the Texas Rangers 10-9 on Thursday night. The Blue Jays also hold a two-game edge on the Tampa Bay Rays, who fell 2-1 to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday.
The Yankees have already clinched the East Division title.
Toronto was swept by the Rays in the wild-card series in 2020. It was the Blue Jays' first playoff appearance since 2016.
Toronto won World Series titles in 1992 and 1993.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.