WATCH: Baltimore Orioles CLINCH first postseason berth since 2016 during game against Rays
The Baltimore Orioles clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2016. They would go on to beat the Rays 5-4 through a walk-off winner after that.
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Baltimore Orioles Adley Rutschman hugging Felix Bautista (Pic Credit: Imago)
The games are now coming fast in the Major League Baseball (MLB). The regular season is reaching near its conclusion and because of it, the race for playoffs has heated even further. On Sunday night, the Baltimore Orioles became the third team to clinch a playoff berth while they faced the Tampa Bay Rays. The O’s are now guaranteed to make a playoff run for the first time since 2016.
The young side has been the surprise package of this season. After the hot start to the season by their opponents, the team kept pushing forward and eventually took the lead. Both sides entered this weekend’s series on the same record with the Orioles in first due to playing one game more. After taking the first game, the O’s came all the way back from 3-1 down to record a 5-4 walk-off win in the eleventh inning.
The O’s also got some help from the others. Even before the game was concluded, they were through to the next phase. The sweep of the Texas Rangers at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians later confirmed a postseason berth for the Rays as well. These two sides from AL East will now make their presence in the postseason.
However, the Rays might have to settle with the wild-card spot following this series loss. Currently, they are two games behind the Orioles, but due to their loss in the tie-breaker series, they are technically three games behind them. If the two teams finish with the same record at the end of the year, the Baltimore side will clinch the division on tie-breaker criteria, the same way the Atlanta Braves did last season with the New York Mets.
Baltimore Orioles eyeing first American League title since 2014 after clinching postseason
The 2023 MLB season will go down as one to remember. This year several big names struggled to back up the hype across them as they flattered early on. The team who were labeled the “underdogs” have bitten back as the Baltimore Orioles stunned everyone. After booking their place in the postseason, the team now has set their sights on bigger goals, and nothing gets bigger than winning the division.
The American League East is arguably one of the toughest divisions across the whole MLB. The likes of two heavyweights in the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox further comprised of hard hitters in Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays. In this division, very few gave the O’s any chance, considering they managed to collect a joint .341 win percentage in their previous two seasons.
The Orioles though now stand on the verge of glory. The group of young players is now aiming to win their first divisional title in nine years, last tasting success in 2014. With the lead they have on the Rays, they are widely expected to run away with it. They though suffered a four-game losing run before bouncing back, so it still has not been fully wrapped up yet. The Rays fans would be optimistic and hope for a late slip-up to get their hands on the title.
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Vinay Dave
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