Like Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over till it's over" — a truism that's providing some positivity for the Blue Jays and their fans, as Toronto makes a late-season drive for a playoff spot.
Toronto's 2026 season has been a bumpy ride, as the defending American League (AL) champions have battled injuries and shown inconsistent play on the field. The team has not played to expectations, and has held a losing record for much of the year — including at present.
Yet the Blue Jays are, improbably, still in the mix of teams that could claim a playoff spot.
Toronto begins a three-game series in Cleveland on Tuesday that will give the Blue Jays a shot at moving up in the standings at a critical time.
"You have a chance to leave Cleveland with a playoff spot," said Sho Alli, a host with Sportsnet 590 The Fan, underlining the importance of the next three games.
Here's a look at how the Blue Jays have stayed in the hunt for a post-season berth.
Major League Baseball's current playoff format sends 12 teams to the playoffs each year — six from the AL and six from the National League.
The six post-season teams, in each of the respective leagues, will be made up of three division winners and three so-called wild cards (the teams with the best overall records, outside of the division winners).
The Blue Jays play in the AL East division, which is currently led by the Tampa Bay Rays. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are next in the standings.
If the season ended today, the Rays would be in the playoffs as a division winner. But the Yankees and the Red Sox, with the next-best records in the wider AL, would hold two of the three wild-card spots, accordingly.
The Cleveland Guardians lead the chase for the third wild-card spot at the moment.
Along with Toronto, the Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners are within five games of Cleveland. All are vying for that same wild-card spot — despite the fact they are mostly underwater in the standings.
"It's kind of crazy just how bad the American League has been," said Bob Nightengale, MLB columnist for USA Today, who says it shouldn't be the case that sub-.500 teams could be headed to the post-season.
The Jays, at least, are doing better lately, having played strong baseball in August, going 17-11 and pushing their overall record on the season to 68-70 ahead of Tuesday's games.
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