The Toronto Blue Jays slugged their way to a series-clinching 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday at home, and now the Detroit Tigers are coming to town as the race for the final wild-card spot in the American League continues to evolve.
Toronto hitters collected six extra-base hits, with three of them coming on back-to-back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning in the dominant victory.
One of those homers came off the bat of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., his first home run at the Rogers Centre of the season.
“I knew it was going to happen,” Guerrero said through an interpreter after the game. “Today, tomorrow, I never felt the pressure. I never came to the ballpark thinking I had to hit one.”
It was the seventh time in club history the Blue Jays slammed three successive homers and the first time since June 19, 2012, when Colby Rasmus, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnación went deep in Milwaukee.
The Blue Jays (75-75) have been one of the best teams in the American League since the end of July. They’ve gone 26-16 over their past 42 games and have flirted with a playoff spot multiple times in the past few weeks.
Next on the schedule is a date with the Tigers, who are all but out of the playoff chase at 70-79 but have been playing well in recent days, winning seven of their past 11 games.
The Blue Jays have been chasing the Cleveland Guardians for the final wild-card slot in the AL - and as hot as Toronto has been over the past month, the Guardians have been playing just as well, with a record of 16-9 since Aug. 18.
The Guardians have played so well that they have gotten back in the running for the AL Central division title, thanks to the recent struggles of the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox held as much as a six-game lead in the division as recently as Aug. 16, but a cold spell has them potentially battling the Blue Jays for a wild-card spot as well as the Guardians for the division title.
| Team | Record | Wild card GB | Record in September |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago White Sox | 76-73 | - (Lead AL Central) | 4-8 |
| Cleveland Guardians | 76-74 | - | 7-4 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 75-75 | 1 | 7-5 |
| Houston Astros | 75-75 | - (Lead AL West) | 5-7 |
| Texas Rangers | 74-76 | 2 | 6-6 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 72-78 | 4 | 3-9 |
The AL West division title is not yet decided either, with the Houston Astros holding a one-game lead over the Texas Rangers, while the Rangers trail the Blue Jays by a game in the wild-card standings.
After this three-game stand against the Tigers in Toronto, the Blue Jays have nine games remaining on the calendar. The team has series on the road against the Rangers and Orioles before returning home to play the Cincinnati Reds (70-79) in the final series of the year.
With five teams within 2.5 games of one another - and two of those set to win a division title - there’s still a long way to go to decide which team will earn the final wild-card spot in the American League.