Last night, Mitch White was extraordinary (or not…) and the Toronto Blue Jays lost their game against the New York Yankees.
From that match, we especially remember Aaron Judge’s 61st homer since the power hitter was finally able to find a hold to his liking.
The defeat of the Blue Jays will not prevent them from participating in the playoffs since there is still one week to go for a single victory more. Yes, right now Toronto’s magic number is 1.
Otherwise, a defeat of the Orioles (who are playing against Boston in the early afternoon) could automatically qualify the Blue Jays, despite the day off in Toronto.
Right now, when we look at what’s going on in the American, we don’t completely hold our breath looking at the standings.
Why?
- Because the three division champions are official (and the Astros are one game away from securing first place).
- Because the Yankees won’t be caught by the Guardians.
- Because the Twins and the White Sox are officially eliminated from the playoffs.
- Because the Orioles may be running out of time – and gas.
What remains to be determined is the home field advantage in the race for the best second. Right now, the Blue Jays are in the driver’s chair, but that could change.
Recall that the Guardians will host the American’s #6 team for a 2-of-3 series that will take place 100% in Cleveland. Right now it would be the Mariners who would be visiting.
And the other series, between teams #4 and #5, will take place 100% on the team with home court advantage. That’s why the teams find it important to play at home this year.
In case of a tie, note that the Rays have the advantage over the Mariners and the Blue Jays and that Seattle has the upper hand over Toronto.
But in the National, there are a few more issues at the moment.
Here, despite the Giants being on the verge of being eliminated, there are still a few teams left in the hunt for the last few second-best spots.
Clearly, the Dodgers (who set a franchise record with their 107th win) and Cardinals won’t budge from there, but it’s still debatable who of the Mets and Braves will win the East. This is the last division title to be confirmed.
Right now, the Mets are in a strong position to finish second in the National. In fact, barring a sweep against the Braves, they can avoid second-best games.
So there are two spots left for the Padres, Phillies and Brewers. And the Padres, right now, have a solid lead over the other two.
It is likely that the Padres (who are 2.5 games ahead of the Phillies) will have to play in Atlanta or New York during the wild card series.
The 12th team in MLB to qualify for the playoffs will (likely) be either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Milwaukee Brewers.
Right now, Milwaukee is 1/2 game behind Bryce Harper’s club. Both teams have equal wins, but the Brewers have one more setback.
Note also that in the event of a tie, the Phillies will have the advantage over the Brewers because of the results of the clashes this season.
The Phillies will once again be in Chicago (Cubs) today before playing four games (in three days) in Washington and three games in Houston.
The Brewers will have a 100% home schedule. They will receive, from today, four times the Marlins and three times the Diamondbacks.
It will be a great race to follow, therefore.
- Tyler Glasnow is back.
- Charlie Blackmon’s season is over.
