The San Diego Padres secured a playoff spot on Tuesday by defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With this victory, the Padres became the fourth National League team to clinch a postseason berth. This marks their third playoff appearance in five years, a significant improvement since they hadn’t made it past 2006 before 2020. The game ended dramatically with a triple play: Manny Machado threw to Jake Cronenworth at second, who then completed the play to Donovan Solano at first.
Check out this thrilling moment:
GAME-ENDING TRIPLE PLAY TO CLINCH POSTSEASON BERTH
— MLB (@MLB)
The Padres are still in contention for the NL West title, now just two games behind the Dodgers with two more games left in their series. They have already won enough games against the Dodgers this season to secure the tiebreaker if needed.
Padres’ Season Turnaround:
Earlier in May, things looked bleak as they had a losing record. By mid-season, they were just one game above .500. However, since the All-Star break, they’ve been on fire with a 40-17 record. If they kept up that pace all season, they’d win 114 games! Fans might think this turnaround is nothing short of amazing.
Key players like rookie Jackson Merrill and pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King have been standout performers. Jurickson Profar also shined after signing a one-year deal worth $1 million in February.
Despite missing big names like Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, and Fernando Tatis Jr., the Padres are thrilled not only about making it to October but also having a shot at their first NL West title since 2006.
What do you think about their chances?
