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
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.