The Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles both clinched spots in the playoffs after the Texas Rangers’ loss to the Cleveland Guardians. However, neither team is satisfied with just a wild-card berth. The race for the American League East title is still up for grabs. The Orioles made a significant move on Sunday with a hard-fought victory against the Rays at Camden Yards, winning 5-4 in 11 innings.
By splitting the crucial four-game series, the Orioles, who have made their first playoff appearance since 2016, now hold a two-game lead at the top of the AL East standings. The Orioles also have the advantage of winning the head-to-head tiebreaker, essentially giving them a three-game lead in the division.
The Sunday game started as a battle between pitchers, with the score tied at 1-1 going into the eighth inning. However, in the top half of the inning, Tristan Gray hit his first career home run, giving the Rays a 3-1 lead. Christian Bethancourt extended the Rays’ lead to 3-1 with a home run of his own.
Adley Rutschman, Baltimore’s All-Star catcher, brought the Orioles within one run with a homer in the bottom of the eighth. In the ninth inning, the Orioles managed to tie the game with two clutch hits. As the game went into extra innings, the Rays scored in the top of the 10th, putting the Orioles on the brink of defeat. But once again, Rutschman delivered a crucial hit.
In the 11th inning, the Orioles prevented the Rays from scoring thanks to a great play at third base by Gunnar Henderson. In the bottom half of the inning, Cedric Mullins sealed the victory for the Orioles with a sacrifice fly that brought Rutschman home.
The Rays and Orioles are the first American League teams to secure a playoff spot this season, joining the Atlanta Braves from the NL East and the Los Angeles Dodgers from the NL West. The Tampa Bay Rays have reached the playoffs for the fifth straight time, making it their ninth postseason appearance in franchise history. Despite losing the World Series in 2008 and 2020, the Rays have never advanced beyond the Division Series.
Tampa Bay had an impressive start to the season with a 13-game winning streak. Since then, they have maintained a strong performance, with an 80-57 record (equivalent to a 95-win pace in a 162-game schedule) and a 24-9 record in their last 33 games. Although they were trailing the Orioles by four games in the division as recently as September 9, the Rays managed to close the gap in a short period of time.
Meanwhile, the Orioles have had the fifth-longest playoff drought in baseball since their last appearance in 2016. After that season, the team underwent a rebuilding phase under general manager Mike Elias, which led to a string of disappointing seasons. Over the past three years, the Orioles recorded a winning percentage of .341, picking no lower than fifth in the draft. Their investment in young talent, including Rutschman and Rookie of the Year contender Gunnar Henderson, has paid off and has put them in contention for the long term, despite limited roster improvements from ownership.
The AL East race remains highly competitive. The division winner is likely to secure the top seed in the AL bracket, enjoying a bye in the Wild Card Series and home-field advantage throughout at least the Championship Series. On the other hand, the runner-up will have to compete in the best-of-three Wild Card Series, which serves as the opening round of the MLB playoffs.
