Yankees, Brewers clinch first two MLB playoff spots

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- The Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees became the first two teams to clinch spots in the 2024 MLB playoffs, earning respective tickets in the National League and American League.

The Brewers earned the first spot with a Chicago Cubs loss to the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday afternoon. That loss resulted in the Brewers' third National League Central division title in four years.

They went on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on a Jake Bauers walk-off single Wednesday night in Milwaukee. The designated hitter smacked that hit into right field to plate left fielder Jackson Chourio for the game's winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

"We've been going at it together since the middle of February, so getting to cherish that moment with the guys and only the guys was something we talked about," Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins told reporters.

"Those are the types of things we're going to remember beyond this year."

The Yankees went on to top the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in 10 innings Wednesday in Seattle. Veteran first baseman Anthony Rizzo plated that winning run with a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the 10th.

With that victory, the Yankees, who own their largest American League East division lead (five games) over the second-place Baltimore Orioles this season, secured at least a wild-card placement in the playoffs.

"Obviously, not getting in last year was difficult, it was a tough off-season," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on the YES Network broadcast. "Look, we've got a long way to go. This is just the first step."

Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes allowed just four hits and no runs over six innings in their narrow triumph. Rizzo, the only Yankees player with multiple hits, went 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Star right fielder Juan Soto went 1 for 2 with two walks. Designated hitter Aaron Judge went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts and a walk.

Mariners first baseman Justin Turner went 2 for 4 with a home run, double, an RBI, walk and a strikeout. Mariners starter Bryce Miller allowed two hits and one run over six innings.

Brewers starter Freddy Peralta allowed just two hits and one run, while issuing nine strikeouts, over five innings in their victory. Hoskins went 2 for 3 with a home run, double and RBI against his former Phillies teammates.

Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola allowed three hits and one run over seven innings. Third baseman Alec Bohm hit a solo homer in the loss.

An additional 10 spots remain in the 12-team MLB playoff field with 11 days remaining in the regular season.

The Yankees (89-63) own the best record in the American League. The Cleveland Guardians (88-75) top the American League Central standings, six games ahead of the second-place Kansas City Royals (82-71) and 7.5 games ahead of the third-place Minnesota Twins (80-72). The Detroit Tigers (80-73) are eight games behind the Yankees and sit in fourth place in the division.

The Chicago White Sox (36-117) own one of the worst regular-season records in history and are 52 games behind the Guardians for first place and 44 games behind the fourth-place Tigers. They are 44.5 games out of the wild-card race.

The Houston Astros (82-70) own a five-game lead on the Mariners (77-75) in the American League West. The third-place Texas Rangers (73-79) sit nine games behind the Astros.

The Orioles, Royals and Twins currently hold the three wild-card playoff slots, but the Tigers are just a half-game back in that race. The Mariners are three games back in the wild-card hunt, while the Boston Red Sox (76-76) trail by four games. The Tampa Bay Rays (74-78) and Rangers are, respectively, six and seven games out of the wild-card race.

The Phillies, who own the best record (91-61) in baseball, own a seven-game lead on the New York Mets in the National League East. The Atlanta Braves (82-70) are nine games behind the Phillies.

The Los Angeles Dodgers (90-62) own a 3.5-game lead on the second-place San Diego Padres (87-66) in the National League West. The third-place Arizona Diamondbacks (84-68) are six games behind the Dodgers.

The Padres, Diamondbacks and New York Mets (84-68) currently hold the National League's three wild-card slots.

The Braves are two games out of the wild-card race. The Chicago Cubs (77-75) and St. Louis Cardinals (77-75) are both seven games back.

The Top 2 division winners in each league will earn byes to the National League Division Series and American League Division Series. The other four teams in each league will compete in a best-of-three series in the Wild Card round.

The Wild Card round will start Oct. 1. The second round of the playoffs will start Oct. 5. The American League Championship Series and National League Championship Series will start Oct. 13. Game 1 of the World Series is set to start Oct. 25 and could run through Nov. 2.

The Orioles will host the San Francisco Giants (74-78) in the first game of Thursday's slate. That game will start at 1:05 p.m. EDT in Baltimore.