The Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, and San Diego Padres punched their tickets for the divisional round of the 2024 MLB Playoffs after each completed a sweep in their respective wild-card series on Wednesday night.
The only undecided Wild-Card series is the one between the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets. With the series tied at 1-1, the winner will be decided in Game 3, scheduled for Thursday.
The Tigers, who made the postseason for the first time since 2014 after an impressive late run, took down the Houston Astros with a 5-2 comeback win that was highlighted by Andy Ibanez’s three-run double in the eighth inning. They also ended the Astros’ run of seven straight AL Championship Series appearances.
Detroit is now set to face the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS.
The Royals handled the business against the Baltimore Orioles, showing resilience following two seven-game losing streaks in the final month of the regular season. Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. once again played a key role, making a hit in the top of the sixth that allowed Kyle Isbel to score and break a 1-1 tie. Witt previously had the only RBI single to help the Royals to a 1-0 win in Game 1.
Kansas City will face the New York Yankees in ALDS next.
The Padres showed why they are considered a World Series contender in a 4-5 win over the Braves. They orchestrated a five-run second inning and then did enough to hold on as the injury-riddled Braves attempted a comeback. Robert Suarez delivered a perfect ninth inning to get the save and send San Diego to an NLDS clash against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
