It’s official: the Toronto Blue Jays will host the Seattle Mariners this weekend at Rogers Center to kick off the playoffs.
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Major League Baseball’s only Canadian team will look to cap this series in the strongest of three home games starting Friday. Thus, the Cleveland Guardians will host the Tampa Bay Rays in the American’s other first-round matchup.
A dramatic 7-6 victory by the Mariners over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, along with a 6-0 loss by the Rays to the Boston Red Sox, made it official.
Since joining the major leagues simultaneously in 1977, the Jays and Mariners have never met in the playoffs. Moreover, the Washington State team will be at the first fall ball in 21 years, ending the longest active drought in North American professional sport.
John Schneider’s men will have to be wary of the Mariners, who have won five of the seven games between the two teams this season.
The rain gets in the way
Tuesday’s game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Orioles in Baltimore was postponed to the next day due to rain.
The two formations of the East section of the American will therefore conclude their regular season with a doubleheader on Wednesday. The Queen City club will then enter the playoffs, while the Orioles players will have to tell each other next year.
Montrealer Otto Lopez was to get the start as a shortstop player with the Jays. He was also the eighth batter in the offensive lineup. The latter had one hit in his only major league at-bat this season and was used in only six games.
Atlanta Braves still division champions
Despite trailing the New York Mets by 10½ games at the start of June, the Atlanta Braves managed to claim a fifth straight Nationals East title. , tuesday.
This bodes well for defending World Series champions Georgia. In Miami, she secured a bye into the first round of playoffs by beating the Marlins 2-1.
The Mets, meanwhile, will host the San Diego Padres in a best-of-three series that should be hotly contested.
In Game of the Day, Jake Odorizzi (6-6) was true to form frustrating Marlins hitters for five innings. He only allowed one long solo ball to Jesus Sanchez and another hit, striking out seven batters on the way.
Ronald Acuna Jr. and William Contreras scored for the Braves. They hit a single for one run each, respectively on the second and fifth bouts.
Braxton Garrett (3-7) suffered the loss, mostly due to his inconsistency. Although he had as many batters in the mitt as his counterpart, he allowed six strikes from the safe and five free passes in four and two-thirds innings.
Called in as backup as a substitute hitter, Quebecer Charles Leblanc bit the dust with his mere presence at bat for the Marlins.
