The race for the third wild-card spot in the American League is turning into a complete free-for-all. Nobody in the race has a winning record as of Sunday, but there are six teams all within a game-and-a-half of that spot, and the order is changing on a daily basis.
Thanks to their 10-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday afternoon, the Baltimore Orioles are now the sole occupants of that spot and will begin play on Monday in a playoff position.
It is a big deal for them for a lot of reasons.
Baltimore Orioles find themselves in playoff position for first time in months
Thanks to their win on Sunday, it is the first time since April 13 of this season that Orioles have found themselves in sole possession of a playoff spot. That was just 16 games into the season, and when they had a 9-7 record, which is actually a significantly better winning percentage than they have had since then.
Since April 13, the Orioles are actually four games under .500 (52-56), and even found themselves as sellers at the trade deadline by sending starting catcher Adley Rutschman to the division rival Boston Red Sox.
