*Photo from WRUF*
It was kind of an odd way to clinch, but for San Diegans, it was enough. Elvis Andrus homered, Adam Engel drove in a run, and the Chicago White Sox defeated the San Diego Padres with a 2-1 victory on Sunday afternoon in San Diego.
With the White Sox out of contention and under .500, they won just their 3rd game in their last 10 on Sunday, increasing their record to 79-80, still a chance to finish above .500 this season. For the Padres, you'd think they'd be upset, but that wasn't the case on Sunday.
Yes, they lost, but the Milwaukee Brewers lost to the Miami Marlins. The loss by the Brewers officially secured a playoff spot for the Padres, with the game going final in the middle of the Padres game. It's the 7th time in team history the Padres have made the playoffs, and the first time in a full season since 2006, after previously making the postseason in 2020.
Padres starter Joe Musgrove said after the game that "It's a been a long time since we've been in this spot. It's pretty crazy how it all worked out, I end up back here in a year where we've got a team like we have to make it this far."
The first 5 innings went scoreless, both teams in a deadlock. Once the 6th inning came around, Andrus got the White Sox on the board. He hit one over the left field fence for a solo home run, putting the White Sox ahead by a 1-0 score two thirds of the way through the game.
In the 7th inning, the rest of the scoring was done. In the top half of the inning, Adam Engel singled up the middle, with Andrew Vaughn crossing home plate to double the White Sox lead to 2-0. In the bottom of the inning, Ha-Seong Kim hit a solo home run to left field, getting the Padres on the board to make it a 2-1 game.
Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth said of clinching a playoff spot that "It hasn’t been the easiest season. But the way the group has come together, to fight through the ups and downs, to maintain what we’ve been doing all year and get to the point we are now, it’s pretty special."
Entering play on Monday, the Padres currently hold the second NL Wild Card spot. They won't catch the New York Mets for the top spot, with 11 games separating them with 3 to go. But they have to make sure either the Brewers or Philadelphia Phillies don't catch them in the standings. The Padres would face the Mets in the wild card round if the season ended today.
Starting the game for the Padres was Blake Snell, who got the loss after allowing one run on 3 hits in 6 innings pitched. Steven Wilson allowed one run in the 7th inning, with Luis Garcia and Tim Hill each pitching an inning at the end of the game.
It was Lance Lynn who started for the White Sox, allowing one run on 5 hits and one walk in 7 innings, getting the win. Reynaldo Lopez pitched a scoreless inning, and Liam Hendriks picked up his 36th save of the season with a scoreless 9th inning.
Up next, the Padres get back in action on Monday night with a home series against the San Francisco Giants, with Musgrove starting. The White Sox host the Minnesota Twins on Monday night, with Johnny Cueto getting the start.
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