SAN DIEGO — THE WAIT IS OVER! The San Diego Padres have clinched a postseason berth during a full-length season for the first time since 2006!
The Padres didn’t need the win on Sunday against the Chicago White Sox to clinch their postseason spot. Instead, while their game was still being played, the Milwaukee Brewers lost to the Marlins in extra innings, clinching the Padres spot in the 2022 MLB playoffs.
The team had been jockeying for a postseason spot for weeks against the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers and ultimately has clinched either the number five or six seed. The final seeding will be decided in the final few games.
Hitting the road
Because the Padres didn’t get a seed in the top four, it means that all three games of the first playoff series will be on the road. When it comes to who they will play and where in the first round it gets slightly more confusing.
If the Padres are the fifth seed
If the Padres end up as the fifth seed in the National League, they will go on the road and face either the Atlanta Braves or the New York Mets. Those two teams are battling it out for the top spot in the National League East. Whoever loses the National League East race will win the top wild card spot and will host the Padres in a three-game series starting on October 7. If the Padres were to win that series it would set them up for a series against their hated rivals from just up the road, the Los Angeles Dodgers who will be well rested coming off a first-round bye.
If the Padres are the sixth seed
If the Padres end up as the sixth seed in the National League, they will hit the road to Missouri to take on the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals have been a common matchup for the Padres in the postseason. The teams have played each other four of the last five times the Padres have made the postseason going back to 1996. Most recently, the Padres knocked off the Cardinals 2-1 in the playoffs for the 2020 COVID-shortened season. If the Padres keep the good times rolling during that series they would be set to face either the New York Mets or the Atlanta Braves depending on who wins the National League East race.
The Padres head to the postseason riding one of the hottest pitching staffs in the majors. The team hopes the offense can continue clicking for a deep trip in the playoffs.
The first round of the 2022 MLB postseason begins on October 7.
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