The Los Angeles Dodgers were the first team to clinch a spot in the 2022 MLB postseason on Sunday, or so they thought. On Monday, MLB announced an internal error regarding postseason clincher scenarios, and clarified the Dodgers had not yet clinched a postseason berth.
Here are the details of MLB's error (via ESPN):
MLB said Monday, however, that it failed to account for a potential scenario in which the Padres (77-64) overtake the Dodgers for the NL West title and Los Angeles finishes in a three-way tie at 96-66 with the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals. Milwaukee would win the NL Central in that scenario while St. Louis would win the wild-card tiebreaker with Los Angeles based on head-to-head results this season.
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When MLB issued its clinching scenarios ahead of Sunday's games, it was using the Dodgers' 4-3 record against the Brewers as a head-to-head tiebreaker and was not factoring the possibility of a three-team tie.
"It's a big accomplishment," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the Associated Press after Sunday's win, believing the club clinched a postseason spot. "For me it's just making sure guys appreciate that it's not a rite of passage to get into the postseason every year and there's still a lot of work to be done. I feel our best baseball is yet to be played and just continue to stay focused."
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The good news for Roberts and the Dodgers is that their 6-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night -- hours after MLB issued its correction -- did indeed secure their 10th straight trip to the playoffs. L.A. has not yet clinched the National League West title, but their 20 1/2-game lead over the second-place Padres means it's merely a matter of days before that happens.
At 97-43, the Dodgers have the best record in baseball by 6 1/2 games, and they're presently on pace for a franchise-record 112 wins this season.
