Blue Jays clinch first post-season berth since 1993 amid confusion

TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays have clinched a post-season berth, but it may be the most confusing entry ever.

The Blue Jays and presumably most of their fans went to bed Friday night thinking there was one more hurdle to cross before ending a 22-year playoff drought.

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Toronto came into Friday night’s game needing a win over Tampa combined with losses by the Twins and Angels to secure a wild-card berth.

The Jays won, the Twins lost but the Angels beat Seattle.

Most went to bed thinking ‘To be continued.” But baseball’s number-crunchers determined the Jays had indeed clinched at least a wild-card berth.

It turns out only two of the Rangers, Astros and Angels can finish at 88-74 – the record the Blue Jays would finish at if they lost all nine of their remaining games – because of the trio’s head-to-head games with one another.

One would win the AL West after a tiebreaker, while the other would claim a wild card along with the Blue Jays or Yankees.

On Saturday morning, the team tweeted: “Playoff bound! The Blue Jays are heading to the postseason.”

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MLB.com at first said the Jays were “on cusp” of the playoffs along with the Mets and Dodgers. “Each can secure a place in the post-season today.” But it changed it’s headline to “Jays in” shortly after.

Toronto also had an x next to it in the standings, denoting that it had indeed qualified for the playoffs.

However it happened, pitcher R.A. Dickey was clear Friday night that the Jays wanted more than a wild-card berth. They have their eyes set on the division crown.