Blue Jays close in on Guardians in wild-card chase, but Cleveland has an extra game to play
The Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Guardians are competing for the final American League wild-card spot as the MLB regular season nears its conclusion. Both teams are fighting to maintain their playoff hopes with limited games remaining.
Why it matters
The race for the final playoff spots significantly impacts team revenue, fan engagement, and the competitive landscape of professional baseball.
Toronto (70-71) and Cleveland (70-70) have the same number of wins heading into Friday's games, but the Guardians will get a couple chances to add to that as they play two against the Detroit Tigers.
If the Guardians win both games against the Tigers, they'd finish the day at 72-70. The best Toronto can do is to bank a win against the Kansas City Royals on Friday and improve to 71-71 — putting them back at the .500 mark for the first time since June .
The Blue Jays, Guardians and a handful of other teams are all fighting for the third AL wild-card.
Cleveland and Toronto battled it out in a three-game series this week, with the Jays winning two of three — including their 6-3 victory Thursday afternoon.
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