Coming in to Sunday there were 3 races in MLB that had the opportunity of going to a game 163. Now that Sunday has come to an end, all races have been decided. The Tigers, Cardinals, and Athletics all won on Sunday to clinch playoff spots and avoid the extra game.
The Tigers came in to the day with just a 1 game lead on the Royals in the AL Central division, looking to clinch for a 3rd consecutive day. They were routed by the Twins two days in a row with their magic number at 2. That magic number was cut down to 1 with the Royals loss in Chicago Saturday night.
The Tigers needed a win or a Royals loss to clinch the division, and the Price was right Sunday afternoon for Detroit. David Price threw 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball, and was supported by an Ian Kinsler solo home run. Joe Nathan completed the 3-0 shutout of the Twins to clinch the team's 4th consecutive division title. The AL Central champs will open the ALDS in Baltimore on Thursday.
The Cardinals also had a 1 game lead in their division, and they were clinched well before they began. The Pirates were chasing them down, but fell to the Reds early Sunday 4-1. That loss clinched the Cardinals' division title and avoid a game 163. The Cardinals would go and shutout the Diamondbacks 1-0 later in the day to officially start the celebration. They will battle the Los Angeles Dodgers in an NLCS rematch from last year.
A wild card race was also on the verge of a game 163 as the Oakland Athletics had a 1 game lead on the Seattle Mariners heading into Sunday. This was after the M's walked off the Angels Saturday night in 11 innings. The A's would take care of business before the Seattle's game was completed by shutting out the Texas Rangers 4-0 behind Sonny Gray. The A's will battle the Royals in the Wild Card game Tuesday night at 8:07 PM.
The Tigers came in to the day with just a 1 game lead on the Royals in the AL Central division, looking to clinch for a 3rd consecutive day. They were routed by the Twins two days in a row with their magic number at 2. That magic number was cut down to 1 with the Royals loss in Chicago Saturday night.
The Tigers needed a win or a Royals loss to clinch the division, and the Price was right Sunday afternoon for Detroit. David Price threw 7 2/3 innings of shutout baseball, and was supported by an Ian Kinsler solo home run. Joe Nathan completed the 3-0 shutout of the Twins to clinch the team's 4th consecutive division title. The AL Central champs will open the ALDS in Baltimore on Thursday.
The Cardinals also had a 1 game lead in their division, and they were clinched well before they began. The Pirates were chasing them down, but fell to the Reds early Sunday 4-1. That loss clinched the Cardinals' division title and avoid a game 163. The Cardinals would go and shutout the Diamondbacks 1-0 later in the day to officially start the celebration. They will battle the Los Angeles Dodgers in an NLCS rematch from last year.
A wild card race was also on the verge of a game 163 as the Oakland Athletics had a 1 game lead on the Seattle Mariners heading into Sunday. This was after the M's walked off the Angels Saturday night in 11 innings. The A's would take care of business before the Seattle's game was completed by shutting out the Texas Rangers 4-0 behind Sonny Gray. The A's will battle the Royals in the Wild Card game Tuesday night at 8:07 PM.
