Blue Jays Clinch 2022 Playoff Spot

With Thursday's Orioles loss, the Blue Jays clinched a spot in the 2022 postseason.

The Blue Jays punched their ticket.

With the Orioles falling to the Red Sox on Thursday, Toronto clinched a spot in the 2022 Major League Baseball postseason. They’ll be one of three Wild Card teams in the American League, though seeding and home-field advantage are still up for grabs with six games to play.

The Blue Jays had the day off, but Jays fans were Red Sox fans on Thursday. With Toronto's magic number down to one, the Jays only needed another Baltimore loss or win of their own to clinch a spot in October. Though Boston fell behind early, the Red Sox clawed back to top Baltimore at Fenway Park, sealing the win with a J.D. Martinez homer in the eighth. 

Last season, the Blue Jays came up one game short, unable to control their own destiny in the final games of the season. This year, they didn’t make the same mistake. The Jays earned the postseason ticket that eluded them in 2021, leaving six games of breathing room at the end of the season to fight for seeding.

As things currently sit, the Blue Jays are in the top Wild Card spot in the American League, which would earn them home-field for the opening best two-of-three series. The Mariners and Rays sit just a few games behind though, leaving something significant to play for in the last two series of the season. The opening playoff round will begin on October 7 and run for three consecutive days.

The Blue Jays will return to Rogers Centre on Thursday to face the Red Sox in their final home series of the year, and they'll formally celebrate the playoff clinch then.