(Boston) The Toronto Blue Jays are guaranteed a playoff spot after the Baltimore Orioles lost 5-3 to the Red Sox in Boston on Thursday.
Updated yesterday at 5:10 p.m.
The Jays got the good news on a day off. The club will host the Red Sox from Friday to Sunday, before concluding the regular season in Baltimore.
“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. We have three very good pitchers who will be at home against a good team, the Red Sox.
“I think we’re more excited than nervous or whatever. I think the guys are going to come out strong and be ready to play on Friday night. »
Toronto leads the trio of clubs that will advance to the playoffs without being section champions.
The team is two games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners.
The best of these clubs will be at home in the first round, in a best-of-three series.
The top two section winners from each league will advance directly to the second round.
The winner of the third section will host the third drafted while the other two formations will face each other.
The Rays lost 2-1 at Cleveland on Thursday. The Mariners host the Texas Rangers.
The New York Yankees have already clinched the East Division title.
In 2020, the Toronto club was swept by the Rays in the first round. It was the Blue Jays’ first playoff appearance since 2016.
The Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993.