MLB Postseason news: Phils and Crew clinch, Cubs drop the ball, AL West race tightens
By Drew Koch
The 2023 MLB Postseason gained two more participants on Tuesday night. Both the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies punched their tickets to the MLB Playoffs, but the two teams did so in different ways.
The Chicago Cubs lost a heartbreaker on Tuesday night and with the Arizona Diamondbacks boat racing the Chicago White Sox, the NL Wild Card chase has become much more interesting with less than a week to go.
But with five days remaining in the regular season, the American League West has yet to be decided and there are three teams who could actually win the division. Wednesday's action is going to be bonkers.
MLB Postseason news: Phillies and Brewers clinch
The Philadelphia Phillies will get the chance to defend their National League crown after successfully knocking off their in-state rival, the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night in walk-off fashion. Philadelphia has secured a spot in the MLB Postseason and will host a Wild Card Series at Citizen's Bank Park.
The Phillies had no chance to catch the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, but Rob Thomson's team did enough to secure the first NL Wild Card spot. If the playoffs began today, Philadelphia would host the Arizona Diamondbacks who picked up a game on the Chicago Cubs in the NL Wild Card race.
The Milwaukee Brewers have been playing good baseball of late. And while Craig Counsell's squad didn't get the win on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals, the collapse by the Cubs enabled the Brewers to pop the champagne after winning the NL Central Division.
Milwaukee will host the final NL Wild Card team next week. At the moment, there's a three-team pileup with the Cubs holding a half-game edge over the Miami Marlins and a 1.5-game advantage over the Cincinnati Reds.