2023 American League Wild Card Series
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season Minnesota Twins (2) Rocco Baldelli 87–75 (.537), GA: 9 Toronto Blue Jays (0) John Schneider 89–73 (.549), GB: 12
Dates	October 3–4
Television	United States:ESPN Canada:Sportsnet
TV announcers	Michael Kay,Alex Rodriguez, and Alden Gonzalez (ESPN) Dan Shulman,Buck Martinez, andHazel Mae (Sportsnet)
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Dave O'Brien andKyle Peterson
Umpires	Andy Fletcher,Adam Hamari,Dan Iassogna (crew chief),Mike Muchlinski,Jeremie Rehak,Mark Wegner
Teams
Team (Wins) Manager Season Texas Rangers (2) Bruce Bochy 90–72 (.556), GB: 0 Tampa Bay Rays (0) Kevin Cash 99–63 (.611), GB: 2
Dates	October 3–4
Television	ABC
TV announcers	Sean McDonough,Jessica Mendoza,Tim Kurkjian, and Coley Harvey
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Mike Monaco andTodd Frazier
Umpires	Lance Barksdale (crew chief), Adam Beck,Tripp Gibson,Adrian Johnson,Carlos Torres, Alex Tosi
← 2022 ALWCS 2024 →

The2023 American League Wild Card Series were the twobest-of-three playoff series inMajor League Baseball’s (MLB)2023 postseason that determined the participating teams of the2023 American League Division Series (ALDS). Both Wild Card Series began on October 3, with Game 2s scheduled for October 4.ESPN broadcast both Wild Card Series in the United States together withESPN Radio^[1] whileSportsnet broadcast the Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays series in Canada.

These matchups were:

• (3)Minnesota Twins (AL Central champions) vs. (6)Toronto Blue Jays (third wild card): Twins win series 2–0.
• (4)Tampa Bay Rays (first wild card) vs. (5)Texas Rangers (second wild card): Rangers win series 2–0.

Under the current playoff structure, there are twoWild Card Series in both theAmerican League (AL) andNational League (NL). The lowest-seeded division winner and three wild card teams in each league play in a best-of-three series after the end of the regular season. The winners of each league's wild card rounds advance to face the two best division winners in that league'sDivision Series.

TheMinnesota Twins (87–75) clinched the postseason for the first time since2020 by winning theAL Central on September 23.^[2] Due to being the worst division winner in the American League in terms of record, they were locked into the third seed.^[3][4][5] The Twins, whose 18-game postseason losing streak is the longest inNorth American professional sports, are looking for their first postseason game win since2004 and their first postseason series win since2002.^[6][7] They hosted to the sixth-seededToronto Blue Jays (89–73), who clinched their second straight postseason appearance, and third since 2020, on September 30.^[8] The teams split their regular season series match-up, 3–3.^[9] Their only previous postseason meeting occurred in the1991 American League Championship Series, which Minnesota won in five games.

TheTampa Bay Rays (99–63) clinched their fifth straight postseason appearance, extending the franchise record for consecutive postseason, on September 17, via a loss to theBaltimore Orioles, who also clinched a berth on this day after theTexas Rangers lost toCleveland Guardians.^[10][11] As a result of holding the best non-division winning record in the American League, they were locked into the fourth seed. They hosted the fifth-seededTexas Rangers (90–72), who clinched their first postseason appearance since2016 on September 30, but they lost theirAL West division lead on the last day of the season via a 1–0 shutout loss to theSeattle Mariners and theHouston Astros 8–1 win against theArizona Diamondbacks.^[12][13] As a result, the Astros won the AL West and clinched a first-round bye by winning the season series 9–4 against the Rangers. Texas won the regular season series against Tampa Bay, 4–2.^[14] This is the third postseason match-up between the Rays and Rangers, with the Rangers having won the previous two matchups, the2010 American League Division Series in five games and the2011 American League Division Series in four games. The series was also notable for it being just the ninth postseason series to have two brothers facing each other (Rays'Josh Lowe and the Rangers'Nathaniel Lowe).^[15] Prior to the start of the series, it was revealed their mother was battling cancer and undergoing chemotherapy.^[16]

As the top two seeds, theBaltimore Orioles (101–61) andHouston Astros (90–72) earned a first-round bye and home-field advantage in theALDS.^[17][18][19]

Minnesota won the series, 2–0.

Texas won the series, 2–0.

This was the second postseason match-up between the Twins and Blue Jays, following the1991 American League Championship Series, which Minnesota won in five games.^[24] Heading into the series, numerous observers commented on how evenly matched the two teams were.^[25][26][27]

Kevin Gausman took the mound for the Blue Jays oppositePablo López for the Twins, who were looking to end the longest playoff losing streak in North American sports history.Royce Lewis provided all of the offense the Twins would need, hitting two home runs in his first two playoff at-bats to put Minnesota up 3–0.Michael A. Taylor andCarlos Correa made strong defensive plays to keep the Blue Jays off of the board until the top of the sixth, when Toronto plated a run on aKevin Kiermaier single. The Twins bullpen shut down the scoring from there with 31⁄3 scoreless innings to earn the Twins' first playoff victory since Game 1 of the2004 ALDS. The 18-game playoff losing streak was the longest in MLB history.^[28]

The Blue Jays, looking to stave off elimination, started former TwinJosé Berríos, while the Twins, in pursuit of their first playoff series win since 2002, startedSonny Gray. Both pitchers allowed no runs for the first three innings of the game. After giving up a leadoff walk in the fourth inning, Berríos was pulled with 47 pitches thrown in favor ofYusei Kikuchi. Kikuchi, normally a starter, proceeded to load the bases with no outs.Carlos Correa drove in a run with a single.Willi Castro subsequently hit into a double play butMax Kepler was able to score Minnesota's second run of the game. The Blue Jays put two runners in scoring position in the fifth inning butVladimir Guerrero Jr. waspicked off at second base to end the inning. In the sixth, Toronto loaded the bases with one out but failed to score asMatt Chapman hit into a 6–4–3double play.^[29] Three innings later,Jhoan Durán would pitch around a one-out single to strike out the side and pickup his second save in as many days. With the victory, the Twins won their first postseason series since2002, and with the loss, the Blue Jays fell to 0–6 in postseason games since2020.

2023ALWC (2–0):Minnesota Twins beatToronto Blue Jays

This was the third postseason match-up between the Rays and Rangers, with the Rangers having won the previous two matchups: the2010 American League Division Series in five games, and the2011 American League Division Series in four games.^[30][31]

Jordan Montgomery scattered six hits and struck out five over seven shutout innings, helping the Texas Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 4–0.Tyler Glasnow battled through five innings, giving up four runs, one earned, and striking out eight while walking five. The Rays committed four errors, setting a single-game playoff franchise record and the most in a postseason game since theNew York Yankees committed four errors in Game 4 of the2019 ALCS.^[32][33] The 19,704 in attendance for the afternoon match-up was the lowest attended postseason game (non-COVID-19 year) since Game 7 of the infamous1919 World Series.^[34] The Rangers snapped a six-game postseason losing streak that began with the loss against the Blue Jays in Game 3 of the2015 ALDS.

Nathan Eovaldi scattered six hits and struck out eight over 62⁄3 innings, leading the Rangers to a 7–1 victory and their first playoff series win since the2011 ALCS.Zach Eflin battled through five innings, giving up five runs, four earned, and striking out three while walking two. Before scratching across a single run in the bottom of the seventh, the Rays had gone 34 consecutive innings without scoring in the playoffs, a scoreless streak that dated back to the sixth inning of Game 1 of the2022 AL Wild Card Series against theCleveland Guardians. Tampa Bay has now lost seven postseason games in a row dating back to the2021 ALDS against theBoston Red Sox. Additionally, with theMinnesota Twins' 18-game playoff losing streak ending on the previous night, the Rays are now tied with the Blue Jays with the longest active playoff losing streak, at seven. This active playoff losing streak would be surpassed by theBaltimore Orioles (eight games) following getting swept by the Rangers in thenext round.^[35]

2023ALWC (2–0):Texas Rangers beatTampa Bay Rays

• 2023 National League Wild Card Series

• Major League Baseball postseason schedule

• 2023 Major League Baseball season
• Major League Baseball Wild Card Series
• October 2023 sports events in the United States
• Minnesota Twins postseason
• Tampa Bay Rays postseason
• Texas Rangers postseason
• Toronto Blue Jays postseason
• 2020s in Minneapolis
• 2023 in sports in Florida
• 2023 in sports in Minnesota

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• Use mdy dates from September 2023