The Toronto Blue Jays need one more win to clinch a postseason berth.
Before Saturday evening’s game, the Detroit Tigers hosted the Atlanta Braves for the second of three games. Holding a 5-3 in the top of the eighth, the Braves cut the lead to one before scoring the game-tying run and the game-winning run in the top of the ninth.
With that, the Blue Jays’ magic number to clinch a postseason berth dropped to one game. So that means that it can happen with a victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday evening.
The Blue Jays’ making the postseason is all but official now, but a lot went right for them on Friday evening, despite getting blown out 20-1. Of course, the Tigers also lost on Friday, but so too did the New York Yankees and Houston Astros, while the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners won.
With the Yankees’ loss, the Blue Jays’ magic number to clinch the American League East is down to five games. If the Blue Jays can go 5-3, they automatically clinch not just the division, but the best record in the American League. Even if they play .500 baseball, a 4-4 record, the Yankees have to win their remaining eight games. A 3-5 record means the Yankees need to go 7-1, a 2-6 record means the Yankees have to go 6-2, and so on.
Barring the Yankees winning all eight of their remaining games, five against the Baltimore Orioles and three against the Chicago White Sox, a 4-4 record should be good enough for the Jays. If they were to go 3-5, it opens the door for the Astros, Mariners, and the Red Sox to finish with the best record in the American League, as all three of those teams would need to win out their last eight games.
At this point in the season, the Blue Jays are in the driver’s seat and control their own destiny, but they have to play better than they have since Monday. They’re currently on a three-game losing streak, and their last eight games are against competent opponents, the Royals (two games), Red Sox (three games) and the Tampa Bay Rays (three games).
Moreover, the Jays are down to a four-man rotation, as Chris Bassitt was placed on the Injured List a couple of hours before Saturday evening’s game, while José Berríos was moved to the bullpen.
Ideally, they win Saturday’s game and the Yankees lose, as the Blue Jays’ magic number to win the division would drop to three.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.