With a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, the San Diego Padres have punched their ticket to the postseason and taken the first National League Wild Card spot off the board.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!But the champagne party may have to be a small one inside Dodgers Stadium—with five games remaining on their schedule, including two more against the Dodgers, the Padres still have a chance to capture the National League West title. If San Diego wins the final two games of the series, they could overtake the Dodgers thanks to already having won the season series, which would give them the crucial tiebreaker.
San Diego clinched their postseason spot with one of the rarest plays in baseball. With runners on first and second, nobody out, and the Dodgers trailing by two in the bottom of the ninth, it seemed that Shohei Ohtani, who was on deck, would have a chance to provide some late-game heroics. However, a sharply hit ground ball by Miguel Rojas to Manny Machado at third base set up a triple play. Machado touched third for the force out, threw to second for the second out, and Jake Cronenworth fired to first to complete the rare defensive gem, sealing the Padres’ playoff berth.
A TRIPLE PLAY! TO SECURE A SPOT IN THE POSTSEASON! UNREAL! pic.twitter.com/NfbCRgt0Y6
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 25, 2024
On July 19th, they were a .500 team at 50-50. Since then, they have posted the best record in baseball, transforming from offseason sellers to playoff contenders. With more than 90 wins, San Diego will finish above that mark for the first time since 2010.
National League Wild Card Race Remains Tight
As the Padres somewhat celebrate, the rest of the Wild Card race in the National League remains up for grabs. The Arizona Diamondbacks, currently riding a three-game losing streak, are clinging to their postseason hopes, sitting just half a game ahead of the Atlanta Braves, who are battling the Mets. Crucially, the Diamondbacks do not hold the season series against either the Mets or Braves, putting them at risk if there’s a tie at the end of the season.
Here’s a snapshot of the standings with five games remaining:
- New York Mets: 87-70 (+.5)
- Arizona Diamondbacks: 87-71 (-)
- Atlanta Braves: 86-71 (-.5)
Remaining Schedules:
- New York Mets: vs. Braves, Braves, Brewers, Brewers, Brewers
- Arizona Diamondbacks: vs. Giants, Padres, Padres, Padres
- Atlanta Braves: vs. Mets, Mets, Royals, Royals, Royals
