The Padres have bigger goals this year. Heck, they have bigger goals this week.
But every single one of those goals begins with them first securing a place in the 2024 postseason. And on Tuesday night, it became official:
The Padres are in. And what a way to get in.
With a 4-2 victory over the rival Dodgers in Los Angeles — sealed with a triple play to end the game and leave Shohei Ohtani on deck — San Diego officially clinched a spot in the postseason. The Padres also continued to apply pressure in their quest for their first National League West title since 2006. The Dodgers’ lead is down to two games, the lowest that number has been since mid-August.
The incredible game-ending play came with runners on first and second and Miguel Rojas at the plate. Rojas roped a grounder right to Manny Machado, who stepped on third and tossed to second, where Jake Cronenworth made the turn to first. The umpires got together for a replay review and the call was confirmed: A 5-4-3 triple play to end the game.
“What a way to do it. You gotta be kidding me right there. What a play by Manny,” manager Mike Shildt said.
Rest assured, the pursuit of a division title remains the focus this week. On that front, the Padres already control their own destiny. With a sweep of L.A., they would move into first place, courtesy of the head-to-head tiebreaker they’ve already locked up.
But keeping the big picture in mind, the Padres still had reason to pause and celebrate on Tuesday. Sure, they have bigger goals this year. But the 2023 Padres also had bigger goals than simply reaching the postseason, and they fell short.
These are — very clearly — not last year’s Padres.
