The2022 American League Wild Card Series were twobest-of-three playoff series inMajor League Baseball’s (MLB)2022 postseason that determined the participating teams of the2022 American League Division Series (ALDS). Both Wild Card Series began on October 7, with Game 2s scheduled for October 8.ESPN broadcast both Wild Card Series in the United States together withESPN Radio.^[2] For the first time, Canadian rightsholderSportsnet – a sibling property to theToronto Blue Jays underRogers Communications – was allowed to produce its own broadcast of a Blue Jays postseason series; previously, it was required to simulcast a U.S. orMLB International broadcast.^[1] These matchups were:

• (3)Cleveland Guardians (AL Central champions) vs. (6)Tampa Bay Rays (third wild card): Guardians win series 2–0.
• (4)Toronto Blue Jays (first wild card) vs. (5)Seattle Mariners (second wild card): Mariners win series 2–0.

On March 10,Major League Baseball changed the postseason structure for the first time since2012, adding a sixth team to the postseason in each league, awarding the two best division winners in each league (seeded by record) a bye into theDivision Series, and added a best-of-threeWild Card round hosted by the higher seed. The lowest-seeded division winner, and three wild card teams (each seeded according to regular season record), will play in this round. The third seed will play the sixth seed, and the fourth seed will play the fifth seed. The postseason structure is similar to the temporary format MLB used in2020 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic without first-round byes for the top two seeds.

TheCleveland Guardians (92–70) clinched theAmerican League Central, their first postseason appearance since2020, and their first under theGuardians moniker.^[3][4] However, they were locked into the third seed as the American League division winner with the worst record and hosted theTampa Bay Rays (86–76), who clinched a postseason berth, their fourth straight postseason appearance and eighth overall in franchise history, with all eight coming since2008, on September 30.^[5][6] In six regular-season meetings in 2022, the Guardians bested the Rays 4–2, including two out of three less than a week ago in Cleveland.^[7]

TheToronto Blue Jays (92–70) clinched a postseason berth on September 29 for their first appearance since2020 after missing out on the postseason by one gamelast year^[8][9] and secured home-field advantage in the wild card round as the best wild card team (non-division winner) in terms of record on October 3, accomplishing back-to-back 90-win seasons for the first time since1992 and1993, which were the two seasons they repeated as champions.^[10][11][12] They hosted the1977-expansion cousinsSeattle Mariners (90–72), who clinched their first postseason berth since2001, ending thelongest postseason drought in North American professional sports on September 30.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18]} The Mariners won the regular-season series 5–2 over the Blue Jays in 2022, including a four-game sweep in July in Seattle. Despite handling Toronto for those seven games, the Mariners only outscored the Blue Jays 26–21 on the season.^[19]

As the top two seeds, theHouston Astros (106–56) andNew York Yankees (99–63) earned a bye and home-field advantage in theALDS.^{[20][21][22][23]}

Cleveland won the series, 2–0.

Seattle won the series, 2–0.

This was the second postseason match-up between Cleveland and Tampa Bay. The two teams previously met in the2013 American League Wild Card Game when Tampa Bay defeated Cleveland 4–0.^[24]

Game 1 featured a pitching duel betweenCy Young candidatesShane Bieber andShane McClanahan. The game was scoreless until aJosé Siri solo home run in the top of the sixth inning, which would immediately be topped by aJosé Ramírez two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth. Bieber went7+2⁄3, only throwing 99 pitches on the day while not allowing a hit until the fifth inning.^[25] Two runs would be all the Guardians needed asEmmanuel Clase closed the game with a perfect ninth, giving the All-Star closer his first career postseason save.

At a brisk two hours and 17 minutes, it was the shortest postseason game since Game 2 of the1999 NLDS between the Braves and Astros.^[26]

In the contest, the Rays and Guardians used eight pitchers each and totaled 39 strikeouts. The Guardians came close to scoring in the bottom of the sixth, where they had the bases loaded with no outs, butJosé Ramírez struck out andJosh Naylor grounded into a double play to end the inning scoreless. The Rays had runners on the corners in the top of the 12th, but Ramírez turned a ground ball byManuel Margot into a difficult out at first base to end the inning. In the bottom of the 13th, with both teams having increasingly depleted bullpens, aceCorey Kluber made his first relief appearance in more than nine years,^[27] that would eventually end up surrendering the walk-off home run toOscar González.Sam Hentges, on the other hand, lasted the longest among all relievers, pitching the last three full innings for Cleveland while not allowing a single hit, striking out six batters, and earning the win. It was Cleveland's first postseason series win since the2016 American League Championship Series.

With 14 innings scoreless for both teams, this was the longest scoreless postseason game in Major League history, until the Astros and Mariners surpassed it a week later in Game 3 of the2022 American League Division Series.^[28][29] For Tampa Bay, the walk-off series-ending loss was their seventh straight loss (regular season and postseason).

2022ALWC (2–0):Cleveland Guardians beatTampa Bay Rays

This was the first postseason match-up between Toronto and Seattle.

Blue Jays starterAlek Manoah began the game by hitting the Mariners' star rookie outfielderJulio Rodríguez. Two batters later,Eugenio Suárez flipped a line drive down the right field line for an RBI double, scoring Rodríguez.Cal Raleigh then worked Manoah a full count before hitting a home run over the right field fence to give the Mariners a 3–0 lead in the top of the first. In the Seattle fifth, Suarez drove in another run when his fielder's choice plated Rodriguez. Four runs would be all that Mariners aceLuis Castillo needed, as the big trade deadline acquisition twirled a shutout over7+1⁄3 innings, striking out five and allowing just six hits. Castillo was the first ever Mariners pitcher to throw at least seven scoreless innings in a postseason game.^[30]

Andrés Muñoz relieved Castillo in the eighth and finished off the game for Seattle with a five-out performance, giving the team its first postseason victory sinceGame 3 of the 2001 American League Championship Series.^[31] For the Blue Jays,George Springer andMatt Chapman each had two hits, while Toronto relievers combined for3+1⁄3 scoreless innings after Manoah exited the game.

In Game 2, Seattle came back from a seven-run deficit to clinch the series, in what would become tied for the second largest comeback in MLB postseason history, and the largest comeback in MLB postseason history on the road.^[32]

The Mariners'Robbie Ray, aCy Young Award winner for the Blue Jays the preceding year, faced off against Toronto'sKevin Gausman, who was brought in during the off-season to essentially replace Ray. The Blue Jays got off to a fast start, scoring four runs on a two-run home run byTeoscar Hernández in the bottom of the second, a run batted in byVladimir Guerrero Jr. in the third, and another home run by Hernández in the fourth which chased Ray. The Mariners got their first hit in the fifth inning when asacrifice fly byJarred Kelenic got them on the board. With the score now 4–1, the Blue Jays increased their lead by scoring four more runs off Seattle relieverPaul Sewald. However, in the top of the sixth, Gausman loaded the bases on three consecutive singles. After a strikeout and a pop-out, he was relieved byTim Mayza, who allowed Seattle to cut the lead down to 8–5 on a wild pitch and a three-run home run fromCarlos Santana. The Blue Jays extended their lead by a run in the seventh on aDanny Jansen single scoringMatt Chapman.

Seattle responded in the top of the eighth inning, cutting the score to 9–6 after four straight batters reached base. With the bases loaded again, Toronto's closerJordan Romano (who was brought in to relieveAnthony Bass with runners on first and second with no outs) struck out Santana andDylan Moore beforeGeorge Springer andBo Bichette collided on a bloop bases-clearing double byJ. P. Crawford to improbably tie the game at nine. Springer got the worst of the collision and had to be carted off the field. After relieverAndrés Muñoz allowed no runs in the bottom of the eighth, the Mariners took the lead in the top of the ninth on aAdam Frazier double scoringCal Raleigh, who also doubled earlier in the inning. In the bottom of the ninth, rookie starterGeorge Kirby worked around a one-out walk to Chapman to earn the first save of his career and send the Mariners to theAmerican League Division Series.^[33]

2022ALWC (2–0):Seattle Mariners beatToronto Blue Jays

• 2022 National League Wild Card Series

• Major League Baseball postseason schedule

• 2022 Major League Baseball season
• Cleveland Guardians postseason
• Seattle Mariners postseason
• Tampa Bay Rays postseason
• Toronto Blue Jays postseason
• Major League Baseball Wild Card Series
• October 2022 sports events in Canada
• October 2022 sports events in the United States
• 2022 in sports in Ohio
• 2022 in Cleveland
• 2022 in Toronto
• Baseball competitions in Cleveland
• Baseball competitions in Toronto

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