MLB playoffs wild-card Day 2 live tracker: Phillies, Diamondbacks, Twins, Rangers all advance with sweeps
That's four sweeps in four MLB wild-card series as play concluded Wednesday
The brooms were busy Wednesday.
The Philadelphia Phillies closed out the wild-card round with a rousing 7-1 win over the Miami Marlins for the fourth sweep in four 2023 wild-card series. The win secured a 2-0 series victory for Philadelphia and ended Miami’s season.
A pair of home runs electrified the Philadelphia home crowd. J.T. Realmuto hit a solo shot in the fourth to extend the Phillies’ lead to 3-0. Then Bryson Stott blew things open with a grand slam in the sixth. Aaron Nola, meanwhile, threw seven shoutout innings in the win.
Up next: a date with the NL East rival Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.
After a pair of sweeps ended wild-card play in the AL, the Arizona Diamondbacks followed suit in the NL with a 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, eliminating the NL Central champions from the postseason.
The Brewers opened the game with a lead for a second consecutive night by scoring two runs in the first inning. Then the Diamondbacks seized control of the game with a fourth-run sixth to secure a 5-2 lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Arizona advances to face the NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.
THE DIAMONDBACKS ARE MOVING ON 😤
This is their first multi-game series win since sweeping the Cubs in the 2007 NLDS 😳 pic.twitter.com/i6RyyKj0xm— ESPN (@espn) October 5, 2023
Earlier, the Texas Rangers rolled past the Rays 7-1 to close out their wild-card series and clinch their ticket to the ALDS. It marks the Rangers' first postseason series win since 2011. The Rangers jumped to a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning at Tropicana Field off home runs from Adolis Garcia and Evan Carter, along with an RBI triple from Josh Jung. They added three more runs over the next two innings and cruised to the six-run win.
Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi recorded eight strikeouts and allowed just one run and six hits through his nearly seven innings on the mound. Texas had 12 hits as a team.
The Rangers will next take on the Orioles starting Saturday in Baltimore. The Rays have lost seven straight postseason games, the longest active losing streak in the league.
After the Twins' historic win Tuesday — which snapped their 18-game postseason losing skid — Minnesota made easy work of the Blue Jays to close out their series Wednesday. The Twins beat Toronto 2-0 at Target Field, thanks largely to an early pitching change that left many fans baffled.
The Blue Jays pulled starter Jose Berrios from the game in the fourth, even though he had yet to give up a run through 47 pitches. The minute he was pulled, the Twins jumped up 2-0 on a Carlos Correa single and a Willi Castro RBI. From there, Minnesota held on to take the 2-0 win.
The Twins advance to take on the Houston Astros in the ALDS. The series win is the franchise's first since 2002.
Follow along as Yahoo Sports provides the latest news, scores and injuries on Day 2 of the MLB playoffs.
