The San Diego Padres clinched a playoff spot by sealing a close win over the Los Angeles Dodgers with a triple play on Tuesday night.
Manny Machado started the 5-4-3 triple play, solidifying a 4-2 victory that left Shohei Ohtani looming on deck.
\"How much better?\" Machado asked rhetorically. \"In a tough spot there, with Ohtani in the on-deck circle, we turn a triple play to end the game against one of the best teams in baseball.\"
The Padres became the first team in Major League history to clinch a playoff spot with a game-ending triple play, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
At the All-Star break, the Padres sat at 50-49. Since then, they are a Major-League-best 41-17.
\"Obviously there\'s so many great teams,\" Padres general manager A.J. Preller said of his club\'s chances in October, \"but we feel like we\'re as dangerous as anybody. It\'s a complete team. Every night somebody else steps up. I\'m so proud and so happy to be with this group. They deserve it. We\'re looking forward to a big run.\"