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The Washington Nationals leveled their National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-2 victory in Game 2 at Nationals Park on Sunday.

Neither starting pitcher made it through the fifth inning, which Fox Sports’ C.J. Nitkowski pointed out has been a trend during the postseason:

Los Angeles’ Rich Hill started strong but faded, going 4.1 innings and allowing four earned runs on six hits, two walks and two hit batsmen with seven strikeouts. Washington’s Tanner Roark, on the other hand, sputtered out of the gate but settled down, surrendering two earned runs on seven hits, three walks and a hit batsman in 4.1 innings.

The second batter of the game, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager, deposited a 3-0 fastball over the wall in right-center field to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.

The 22-year-old also homered in the first inning of Game 1 of the NLDS, becoming the first Dodgers player since Juan Uribe and Carl Crawford in 2013 to hit home runs in back-to-back postseason games, according to Eric Stephen of True Blue L.A.

The Southern California News Group’s J.P. Hoornstra noted Nationals fans didn’t hold back their feelings after Seager’s solo homer:

Los Angeles loaded the bases with one out in the second, but Roark got Hill to strike out swinging and Chase Utley to ground out to end the threat.

In the bottom of the frame, Washington loaded the bases with one out, but Nationals catcher Jose Lobaton grounded back to Hill for a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning. The veteran left-hander knew he had averted disaster, according to ESPN.com’s J.A. Adande:

Lobaton gained a measure of revenge, however, in the bottom half of the fourth.

After the Dodgers had doubled their lead on a single by Josh Reddick in the third, Hill walked Daniel Murphy and hit Danny Espinosa to put runners on first and second with two outs. Lobaton then emptied the bases with a three-run home run to left field.

The Washington Post‘s Chelsea Janes noted the homer was only Lobaton’s second hit against a left-hander all year.

Baseball writer Joe Sheehan pointed out how ridiculous the sport can be sometimes:

Another industry pundit, Jonah Keri, had to reverse course on a piece in which he was praising Hill’s work:

Los Angeles failed to capitalize on another golden opportunity a half-inning later. With two on and one out, Marc Rzepczynski relieved Roark and walked Yasiel Puig to load the bases. The left-hander escaped damage by striking out Yasmani Grandal and getting Howie Kendrick to line out to Jayson Werth in left field.

Leaving men on base was a major problem for the Dodgers, as MLB.com’s Jamal Collier noted:

Washington added to its lead in its next turn at the plate. After Trea Turner and Bryce Harper led off the bottom of the fifth with singles, Murphy plated Turner with one out to make it 4-2.

Kendrick kept the score there, however, throwing out Harper at the plate as he attempted to tag up on Anthony Rendon’s fly ball to left. ESPN.com’s Doug Padilla praised the left fielder:

After a two-out double by Werth in the seventh, Murphy provided insurance with an RBI single to left, which brought an MVP chant from the home fans, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com:

After relievers Sammy Solis, Blake Treinen and Oliver Perez combined for 2.1 perfect innings, Nationals closer Mark Melancon shut the door in the ninth to secure the win.

Since rain pushed Game 2 from Saturday to Sunday, Washington and Los Angeles won’t have a day off as the series shifts west. The first pitch of Game 3 is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET Monday at Dodger Stadium.

Gio Gonzalez will take the mound for the Nationals, while Kenta Maeda will get the nod for Los Angeles. The matchup doesn’t favor either team, as Gonzalez was 11-11 with a 3.76 FIP in the regular season and Maeda finished 16-11 with a 3.58 FIP, according to Baseball-Reference.com—though the Dodgers have struggled against lefties this year, slashing .213/.290/.332 compared to .264/.331/.441 against righties.

Postgame Reaction

“This falls solely on me,” Hill said, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. “I believe we’re tied in the series because I didn’t execute.”

Seager added he and his fellow Dodgers hitters “missed the big hit,” per Gurnick.

Werth thought Lobaton’s three-run homer was a turning point for Washington, saying it “kind of felt like a monkey came off our back,” according to MASN’s Dan Kolko.

“I’m just so happy for Loby, man. He really deserves it,” Ryan Zimmerman said, per CSN Mid-Atlantic’s Chase Hughes. “He stays ready, works hard every day. Now he’s got an opportunity.”

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The Toronto Blue Jays moved within one victory of reaching the American League Championship Series with a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 2 of the division series on Friday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.

Troy Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer in the second inning, and the Jays never relinquished the lead, though there was plenty of drama over the final three innings. J.A. Happ, who went 20-4 in the regular season, picked up the win after giving up just one run over five innings of work.

Toronto, which captured Game 1 of the series by a 10-1 score on Thursday, is starting to pick up a lot of steam after surviving an 11-inning wild-card battle with the Baltimore Orioles. The Jays now return home to Rogers Centre with an eye on closing out the series in Sunday’s Game 3.

The Blue Jays jumped out in front in the second inning, which started with an always dangerous leadoff walk to Jose Bautista. Sure enough, the visitors took full advantage two batters later when Tulowitzki crushed a homer to left to grab the early lead.

Statcast provided further details about the supercharged blast from the five-time All-Star:

A two-out rally allowed the Rangers to get back within one in the fourth.

They belted out three consecutive singles courtesy of Nomar Mazara, Carlos Gomez and Ian Desmond, who brought home Mazara with his base knock to center. A weak groundout by Carlos Beltran brought an end to the threat, though.

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News noted Happ’s struggles the third time through an order, which is when the Rangers got on the scoreboard:

Not being able to generate more runs in the fourth inning was a turning point because the Jays responded with three runs in the fifth.

Kevin Pillar, Ezequiel Carrera and Edwin Encarnacion all connected on solo homers in a five-batter span to give the Blue Jays a 5-1 lead. The explosion of power against Yu Darvish is rare, as he gave up just 12 long balls in 17 starts during the regular season. 

Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News pointed out the Texas starter tied the wrong kind of record: 

ESPN Stats & Info passed along another interesting stat concerning the fifth-inning meltdown:

The Rangers missed an opportunity to trim the lead in the seventh. Desmond started the frame with a double and advanced to third on a groundout. He tried to score on another grounder, this one by Adrian Beltre, but a slight hesitation allowed Josh Donaldson to throw him out on a bang-bang play.

Ari Shapiro of Jays Journal commented on a tough start to the series for the center fielder:

There was still a chance to rally after a walk to Rougned Odor put two runners on base. But Jason Grilli got Jonathan Lucroy to pop out in foul territory to end the inning.

Texas got two runs back in the eighth, which featured a scary moment involving Toronto reliever Francisco Liriano. Carlos Gomez hit a line drive right back through the box that struck Liriano hard before ricocheting into center for an RBI single.

Barry Davis of Sportsnet discussed the chilling moment, which even made Gomez cringe as he ran toward first base:

The Rangers added another run on a groundout by Desmond, but closer Roberto Osuna struck out Beltran to prevent any further damage and preserve the lead into the ninth.

After a scoreless top of the ninth, Beltre gave the Rangers a glimmer of hope by leading off the bottom of the inning with a double. Osuna responded by getting the next three hitters out in order to secure the victory, inducing Mitch Moreland to fly out to end it.

SportsCenter spotlighted the key stat coming out of the Jays’ two wins in Texas:

Looking ahead, along with being in a favorable position in the series, the Jays’ outlook for the entire postseason has become far more optimistic since Tuesday. They struggled during the final month of the season, but that extra-inning triumph over Baltimore seems to have provided the spark they needed.

Now the focus is on closing out the Rangers as quickly as possible, both to avoid a potential comeback and to get some extra rest for the pitching staff. Aaron Sanchez gives Toronto an advantage on the mound in Game 3 with Colby Lewis being his expected counterpart for Texas.

On the flip side, the Rangers need to start coming up with more hits in clutch situations if they want to climb out of the 2-0 hole. They had a couple of chances for big innings Friday and just couldn’t capitalize, and that’s always problematic against a club with as many power bats as the Blue Jays have.

Postgame Reaction

Steve Argintaru of TSN passed along an update on Liriano from Blue Jays manager John Gibbons:

Meanwhile, Rangers manager Jeff Banister lamented the fact a handful of bad pitches is all it took to turn the game in Toronto’s favor, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.

“Four unexecuted pitches is what it boils down to,” he said.

Andy Newberry of the Times Record News noted the Texas bench boss quickly turned the focus to the rest of the series.

“We have to win three in a row; it starts with one,” Banister said.

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The Cleveland Indians are attempting to match the Cavaliers by bringing a championship to their city in 2016.

They took the first step Thursday at Progressive Field with a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Home runs by Roberto Perez, Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor and a stellar performance from their bullpen powered the win. All three long balls came in the third inning, while an RBI single by Kipnis drove in what proved to be the winning run in the fifth.

Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer lasted just 4.2 innings for Cleveland, allowing three earned runs and six hits. But the combination of Andrew Miller, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen allowed just one more run for the rest of the game. Miller was particularly impressive with four strikeouts in two clutch middle innings, and Allen earned a 1.2-inning save with four punchouts of his own.

ESPN Stats & Info noted it was Allen’s first five-out save of the season, while T.J. Zuppe of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland underscored how important the bullpen was Thursday:

Allen ended the night by striking out Dustin Pedroia, who failed to check his swing on a full count:

Boston starting pitcher Rick Porcello allowed five earned runs and six hits in 4.1 innings. Its bullpen was also effective, as Drew Pomeranz, Joe Kelly and Koji Uehara didn’t allow an earned run in 3.2 combined frames.

The Red Sox offense, which led MLB in runs scored, wasted little time jumping on Bauer. Pedroia doubled to lead things off and moved to third on Brock Holt’s single. They each appeared to score on Hanley Ramirez’s double, but Holt was eventually called out after a replay review.

Daren Willman of MLB.com praised the efficiency of Cleveland’s relay:

The Indians responded in the second, when Jose Ramirez doubled and scored on Lonnie Chisenhall’s single. Another review called Chisenhall out after he attempted to reach second base, but he did enough to drive in Cleveland’s first postseason run since 2007.

The offense continued in the third, but from unexpected sources. Each team’s No. 9 hitter drilled a solo home run. Andrew Benintendi gave Boston a brief lead in his first postseason at-bat, and Perez answered with a dinger of his own.

Cleveland was far from done. Kipnis and Lindor drilled back-to-back homers, and Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal pointed out how rare the feat was against Porcello:

The Indians noted it wasn’t the first time they had connected with three home runs in a playoff inning:

Sandy Leon continued the power surge with a long ball in the fifth to trim Boston’s deficit to 4-3. Bauer couldn’t finish the inning, and manager Terry Francona didn’t hesitate to give the ball to Miller. The southpaw allowed a double to Holt and walked Mookie Betts, but he struck out David Ortiz in a pressure-packed moment.

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe described why Ortiz was overmatched in the showdown:

Porcello didn’t last through the fifth, either, as Boston manager John Farrell inserted Pomeranz. He failed to strand Porcello’s runner, immediately allowing an RBI single to Kipnis. It would have been worse, but Mike Napoli’s drive down the line bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double, forcing Kipnis to hold at third.

Chisenhall struck out with the bases loaded two batters later.

Miller and Pomeranz each settled in and kept the game at 5-3. Miller struck out two in the sixth and one in the seventh, while Pomeranz struck out the side in the sixth and recorded one strikeout in the seventh. Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com pointed out Miller’s outing wasn’t all good news for Cleveland:

The Indians missed Miller in the eighth, when Shaw gave up a solo home run to Holt, who was just a triple short of the cycle. Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander noticed there was a pattern at Progressive Field:

Allen kept it in the ballpark in relief of Shaw, although he allowed a double to Ortiz. He escaped the jam by inducing a groundout from Ramirez and striking out Xander Bogaerts.

Allen didn’t appear fatigued when he took the mound in the ninth and struck out Jackie Bradley Jr. and Leon before Benintendi delivered a single to keep Boston alive. However, Allen struck out Pedroia to close out the victory. MacPherson noted the second baseman was “livid” with the call, as he was already on his way to first base because he thought he had checked his swing and earned a walk.

What’s Next?

Game 2 is Friday in Cleveland.

While the Indians earned the early lead in the series, the Red Sox are still one victory away from being in ideal position. Boston can steal home-field advantage with a Game 2 win before things shift to Fenway Park, but Cleveland could seize a commanding lead before it even leaves home with a win Friday.

Game 2 will be a showdown of aces, with David Price toeing the rubber for Boston and Corey Kluber doing the same for Cleveland.

Price faced Cleveland just once this season, allowing two earned runs and striking out 10 in six innings. Kluber faced Boston twice with mixed results. He gave up four earned runs and nine hits in 5.1 innings April 5, but he was better May 20, allowing only two earned runs and five hits in seven innings.

Postgame Reaction

Bauer said, “That was the coolest experience of my life,” when asked about the atmosphere, per Zuppe.

Zuppe shared more of the starting pitcher’s thoughts after the win:

Allen praised the Red Sox after the hard-fought save, per MacPherson: “They’re so relentless. … They put up professional at-bats after professional at-bats.”

On the other side, Pedroia talked about the umpire who called him out on the check swing, per Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald: “I’ll apologize to Phil [Cuzzi] tomorrow for yelling at him.”

Ortiz had a positive outlook even after the defeat, per McAdam: “Hey, listen this is not over yet…I’m gonna bring my best tomorrow, and I’m sure my teammates will too. See you all manana.”

If the Red Sox do that, this series will be tied as it moves to Boston.

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The Toronto Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead in the 2016 American League Division Series with a 10-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday in Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. 

Marco Estrada pitched a gem for the Blue Jays. He stymied the Rangers offense over 8.1 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits and striking out six batters.

Former MLB reliever LaTroy Hawkins thought Estrada’s changeup was particularly effective:

Rangers ace Cole Hamels had one of his worst starts of the 2016 season, going 3.1 innings and allowing seven runs—six earned—on six hits. Hamels’ command was an issue throughout his outing. He walked three batters and threw 82 pitches.

MLB.com’s Richard Justice noted how poor the start was:

Hamels was one out away from getting out of the third inning before the game unraveled for the Rangers.

Josh Donaldson got the Blue Jays on the board with a double to left field. The line drive narrowly evaded Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre, who got a glove on the ball but couldn’t react in time to make the catch. Jose Bautista then doubled Toronto’s lead with a single to center.

A walk to Edwin Encarnacion loaded the bases, and Troy Tulowitzki emptied them with a triple to right-center field to put the Blue Jays ahead 5-0.

Rangers center fielder Ian Desmond has largely exceeded expectations following his transition to the outfield. Tulowitzki’s three-run triple, however, highlighted Desmond’s relative inexperience at the position. As he was tracking the ball, Desmond—bracing for an impact with the outfield wall—pulled up well before he needed to, allowing Tulowitzki’s hit to fall in.

Sports Illustrated‘s Jonah Keri didn’t hold back with his criticism of Desmond:

Vice Sports’ Dave Lozo thought the play would have at least made Roger Dorn of Major League proud:

ESPN.com’s Keith Law was seemingly surprised how quickly the Blue Jays took control of the game:

Melvin Upton Jr. began the top of the fourth with a solo home run to left field to give the Blue Jays a 6-0 lead.

Donaldson then knocked Hamels out of the game after singling home Devon Travis.

Bautista piled further misery on the Rangers with a three-run homer in the top of the ninth, putting Toronto ahead 10-0. According to the Toronto Star‘s Bruce Arthur, the right-handed slugger made sure not to anger any Rangers players with another bat flip:

Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball thought the 35-year-old helped himself with free agency on the horizon:

FanGraphs’ Jeff Sullivan tweeted that Bautista’s home run meant Texas has now allowed more runs than it has scored in 2016.

Dropping the first game is far from a decisive blow to the Rangers in the ALDS. Texas took a 2-0 lead over the Blue Jays in last year’s ALDS before ultimately losing the series.

Still, getting a win in Game 2 will be critical for the Rangers. They won’t want to be in a 2-0 hole when the series shifts to the raucous Rogers Centre. Texas finished only three games over .500 on the road this year.

The good news for the Rangers is that they’ll have their best pitcher on the mound to even the series. Yu Darvish went 7-5 and posted a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts. His 3.09 FIP was lowest among the team’s starters, though, per Baseball-Reference.com.

J.A. Happ will get the nod for Toronto. He went 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA during the regular season. On May 5, the veteran lefty went seven innings and allowed one run in a 12-2 win over the Rangers.

If Happ delivers a similar outing, then Toronto will have one foot in the American League Championship Series for the second year in a row.

Postgame Reaction

Rangers manager Jeff Banister doesn’t think Thursday’s defeat will have a residual impact on his team over the rest of the series, according the Canadian Press’ Neil Davidson (via the Vancouver Sun):

Given how our club has played all year long, and we’ve been in these type of situations before, look, we’ve come back and played well after these type of games. And with the veteran group that we have in there, I don’t worry about the collateral damage in a game like this. Obviously we would have liked to have played a lot more competitively. But the other thing that you’ve got to look at, too, is Estrada threw a heck of a game.

After the game, Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin had high praise for Estrada, saying he has “little hints of [Greg] Maddux” in his game, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

Estrada wasn’t disappointed that he couldn’t go the full nine innings, per Nicholson-Smith: “Who cares? We won. That’s all that matters.”

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Despite missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the Detroit Tigers exercised manager Brad Ausmus‘ fourth-year option for 2017. 

The Tigers announced the news Wednesday. 

“Brad was instrumental in leading the team through adversity and with the development of our younger players, particularly the young starting pitchers,” executive vice president and general manager Al Avila wrote in a press release. “The team improved from last season, and under the leadership of Brad and his coaching staff, the ballclub kept fighting and remained in contention for the postseason. Moving forward we want to build off that progress.”

Chris McCosky of the Detroit News was the first to report the move Tuesday night.

The Tigers went 86-75, missing the playoffs by 2.5 games. Consecutive losses to the 68-93 Atlanta Braves to close out the season ended their chances of securing one of the two wild-card spots in the American League.

Detroit is 250-234 during Ausmus’ three years at the helm, including a playoff appearance in 2014 that resulted in the team getting swept by the Baltimore Orioles in the American League Division Series.

The Tigers had made three straight trips to the postseason prior to Ausmus’ arrival, including a World Series loss under Jim Leyland in 2012.

When asked about his desire to remain as manager following the conclusion of the 2016 regular season, Ausmus said the following, per Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press: “Yeah. It’s a team that’s got a chance to win that’s got some good young pitching now. You know, it’s got a bona fide ace at the top, and it’s got some good young pitching that will, theoretically, just grow and get better.”

With a starting rotation featuring the likes of Justin Verlander, Michael Fulmer, Jordan Zimmermann and Daniel Norris and a lineup with hitters such as Miguel Cabrera, Justin Upton, Ian Kinsler and J.D. Martinez, the Tigers have the talent to make a deep run next season.

They have faltered despite their talent over the past couple of years, and while Ausmus has yet to pay the price for that, his leash isn’t likely to be long in 2017, especially since he’ll be managing for a new contract.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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Barry Bonds‘ tenure with the Miami Marlins is over after just one season.

The Marlins confirmed Wednesday that Bonds would not return next season after Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball cited sources on Monday who said the team elected to let the hitting coach go.

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald confirmed the report and noted the team was also getting rid of third base coach Lenny Harris and bullpen coach Reid Cornelius.

Craig Mish of SiriusXM reported owner Jeffrey Loria was previously the only one blocking the dismissal of Bonds, but that was “apparently no longer an obstacle.”

Mish pointed out there was a disconnect with the franchise’s premier offensive star, noting Giancarlo Stanton “tuned out” Bonds, who was critical of the slugger within earshot of his teammates at times.

Mish added that manager Don Mattingly called out Bonds during a road trip this season, noting the hitting coach’s commitment decreased over the course of the season.

While there were reportedly some issues with Bonds that go beyond the box score, one of the concerns was likely the lack of offensive production for the team. The 79-82 Marlins finished in third place in the National League East despite ranking sixth in the National League in team ERA.

The Marlins were an abysmal 27th in the major league in total runs scored with 665 and failed to capitalize on many of their impressive pitching outings.

Heyman acknowledged that some of the statistics were solid, and the Marlins improved their overall batting average by three points and their run total by 42 under Bonds’ tutelage. However, the lack of slugging and runs proved costly in Miami’s postseason push:

Bonds came to the Marlins with a head-turning resume as a player. The seven-time National League MVP, 14-time All-Star and 12-time Silver Slugger boasts the all-time records for career (762) and single-season home runs (73).

When the team hired Bonds, USA Today recognized his career was “tarnished by steroids,” but Bonds said, “I know hitting, and I know it better than anybody.”

The 2015 season wasn’t his first time working with younger players in a teaching role. According to USA Today, he served as a guest hitting instructor for the San Francisco Giants in spring training two years ago and previously tutored players on an individual level.

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The San Francisco Giants are headed back to the postseason for the first time since 2014, clinching the final National League wild-card spot Sunday thanks to a 7-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on the last day of the regular season.

MLB shared the news on Twitter:

Dating back to 2010, the Giants have won the World Series every other year, and Sunday’s victory kept the streak alive at least for another few days.

The Giants’ Twitter account was well aware of the team’s recent success:

Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports believes in San Francisco’s ability in the playoffs:

The Giants will play the New York Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon for an opportunity to advance to the National League Division Series for a meeting with the juggernaut Chicago Cubs.

Wayne Randazzo of WOR 710 discussed the pitching matchup for the Wild Card Game battle:

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com provided an interesting note on the regular season’s final game:

Veteran pitcher Jake Peavy addressed the home crowd after the win, as the Giants shared on Twitter:

Meanwhile, the real celebration took place a short time later in the locker room:

The Giants, who have won three World Series titles in the past six years, were coming off a disappointing 2015 campaign in which they missed the playoffs with an 84-78 record. They overhauled their starting rotation, bringing in new signings Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija to support ace Madison Bumgarner, which immediately made them a more threatening team.

Behind their impressive pitching staff, the Giants were the class of the National League for the first half of the season. Through July 10, San Francisco was 57-33, the best record in the big leagues, and was 6.5 games up on the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West. 

But after the All-Star break, things fell apart, and the Giants went 11-25 over the next month and a half, squandering the division lead to the Dodgers for good.

Los Angeles clinched the division for the fourth straight season Sept. 25, forcing the Giants to fight for their postseason lives in the wild-card race with the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals. 

The Giants and Mets tied for the top spot, although New York will be at home Wednesday thanks to its 4-3 advantage during the regular season. The Cardinals ended up one game out of the playoffs.

Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area noted the Giants are streaking at the right time:

When the Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 World Series, they were an 88-win wild-card team that had gotten hot at the right time.

However, playing the Mets, who rely on home runs, the Giants might not have the power to keep up. San Francisco didn’t have one player record 20 or more home runs this year.

If they get past the Mets in the Wild Card Game, the Giants will have to rely on their pitching and the winning experience of Bumgarner and Cueto to limit the high-powered offensive lineups of other National League contenders in the postseason.

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The Toronto Blue Jays went 21 consecutive years without making the playoffs after winning the 1993 World Series. On Sunday, they clinched their second straight postseason spot.

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Atlanta Braves, 1-0, which locked up Toronto’s wild-card berth.

The team’s Twitter account celebrated the news:

Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet shared the celebratory team on the field:

Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet and Zwelling passed along some of the players enjoying the moment:

With their 2-1 win over the Boston Red Sox, they will host the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday in the American League‘s Wild Card Game matchup. 

The Blue Jays won the American League East last year but lost in the American League Championship Series to the World Series champion Kansas City Royals. Toronto led the major leagues in total runs in 2015 by an incredible margin of 127.

Things were different as Toronto clinched a wild-card berth this year after a heated battle with the likes of the Tigers, Orioles, Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros.

The Blue Jays weren’t just offensive mashers in 2016. While they rank eighth in the big leagues in total runs (757), pitching helped carry them to the postseason. In fact, the starting rotation, which ranks fourth in the majors in ERA (3.66), has been effective despite losing last year’s second-half ace, David Price, to the Boston Red Sox during the offseason.

Marcus Stroman, J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada and R.A. Dickey have all proved to be durable workhorses with at least 28 starts, and Toronto acquired southpaw Francisco Liriano from the Pittsburgh Pirates during the season to bolster the group.

Any pitching staff benefits from a loaded lineup, and that’s what Toronto brings to the table as it approaches the postseason.

Six players in the order have 20 or more home runs in 2016, and an offense that features Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki, Michael Saunders and Russell Martin will be a difficult out in any playoff series.

Donaldson, the 2015 American League MVP, hasn’t even been the lineup’s most feared slugger. That title goes to Encarnacion, who has drilled 42 home runs and tallied 127 RBI as one of the best run producers in the league. Donaldson isn’t far behind, though, with 37 long balls and 99 RBI.

The Blue Jays have the pieces to make a deep postseason run for the second year in a row. However, this time they will have to play in the pressure-packed, do-or-die American League Wild Card Game, and they will not have the luxury of being able to come back after falling behind 2-0, as they did in last year’s American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers.

The sluggers and formidable pitching must deliver right away if Toronto is going to challenge for its first World Series title since 1993.

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The Baltimore Orioles are headed to the postseason for just the third time since the 1997 campaign.

Baltimore clinched a wild-card berth with a 5-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Sunday, as the team shared on Twitter:

The Boston Red Sox won the American League East, relegating the Orioles to the American League Wild Card Game.

The Seattle Mariners were eliminated from contention after a 9-8 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Saturday, which left the Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers battling for the two wild-card spots at the start of Sunday’s schedule.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports explained the situation before the Tigers lost to the Atlanta Braves, ensuring it will be Toronto and Baltimore in the Wild Card Game:

While the scenarios were confusing, that didn’t stop the Orioles from celebrating after they knew they did their part. The team shared some of the scenes after Sunday’s win:

Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com passed along more of the celebration:

Kevin Gausman pitched 7.1 inning Sunday, allowing two earned runs. He received some run support from Matt Wieters, who drilled two home runs.

Long balls are nothing new for Baltimore’s offense. As of Sunday, it led the major leagues with 251 home runs, far ahead of the second-place St. Louis Cardinals (224). Mark Trumbo, the team’s primary slugger, was slashing .256/.316/.533 with 47 home runs and 108 RBI entering Sunday’s contest.

Elsewhere, Chris Davis has 38 homers, and Manny Machado has 37. Pedro Alvarez, Jonathan Schoop and Adam Jones also each boast more than 20 long balls on the 2016 season.

The team’s slugging was critical as the Orioles earned a trip to the playoffs with lackluster starting pitching, ranking 24th in the big leagues with a 4.74 ERA as of Sunday.

However, Chris Tillman and Gausman both have ERAs below 4.00. In shortened postseason series, they can take the mound multiple times and keep Baltimore in contention.

The Orioles also have a lights-out bullpen that should help shorten those October games. As of Sunday, it was third in the majors with a 3.41 ERA.

Closer Zach Britton, the anchor of the group, had sparkling numbers entering Sunday’s game: a 0.54 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, 47 saves and 74 strikeouts in 67 innings. A weapon like that at the back end of the bullpen is a scary proposition for any postseason opponent.

Between the bullpen and the power, Baltimore has the pieces to challenge for its first World Series title since the 1983 season.

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For the second time in as many years, the New York Mets are headed to the postseason.

By virtue of Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, the Mets clinched a wild-card berth a week after the Washington Nationals celebrated their National League East title.

With the game’s final out in hand, the Mets celebrated on the mound at Citizens Bank Park before they hit the locker room for some champagne showers:

MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo documented the scene in the clubhouse:

DiComo also captured footage of the team celebrating with its fans in Philadelphia:

Following an eight-year playoff drought, the Mets have now joined the postseason party in consecutive years for the first time since 2000.

Though New York’s vaunted pitching staff was dogged by injuries all season—Matt Harvey had season-ending surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, Steven Matz has endured elbow and shoulder ailments and Jacob deGrom underwent season-ending elbow surgery—New York has a shot to defend its National League pennant.

Following a 15-7 start in April, the Mets went 26-30 in May and June before they started to right the ship. After going 13-13 in July and 15-14 in August, they notched 17 wins in 27 September games.

New York also overcame inconsistencies on offense to return to the postseason, as it ranks 12th among the 15 NL clubs with a collective .245 batting average. The only teams with worse marks are the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres.

With Noah Syndergaard headlining a pitching staff that ranks third in the NL in team ERA and starters’ ERA, the Mets look like they may be able to pull off the improbable and return to the World Series. But it will be tough to best the Nationals, Chicago Cubs or Los Angeles Dodgers.

And first they’ll have to get by the San Francisco Giants or St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Game.

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