For the seventh time since 2008 — and for the third season in a row — the Tampa Bay Rays have punched their postseason ticket after a 7-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Tampa Bay was able to clinch a playoff spot thanks to a loss by Oakland Tuesday night. While the Rays did clinch a playoff spot, their exact spot in the postseason bracket remains to be determined. They had a magic number of five to win the American League East as of Wednesday morning, with nine games left to play.
Looking ahead, if the standings remain the same through the end of the season, Tampa Bay would play the winner of the AL Wildcard game, likely between the Boston Red Sox and the Blue Jays, in the AL Division Series. The Rays are 11-8 against the Red Sox on the season — after a 1-4 start to their 2021 campaign against those Massholes — and 11-8 against the Blue Jays.
On Friday, the Rays will begin their final home series of the regular season against the Miami Marlins. From there, they will travel to Houston then to New York for the final six regular-season games. After that? TROPTOBER!