Cardinals, Brewers clinch NL's last playoff spots on final day

The St. Louis Cardinals secured a spot in the 2020 postseason after beating the Milwaukee Brewers on the last day of the regular season.

St. Louis finished as the No. 5 seed in the National League and will face the San Diego Padres in the wild-card series.

The accomplishment is noteworthy considering the Cardinals' season was temporarily derailed after a COVID-19 outbreak struck the team in late July, which forced the club to play 11 doubleheaders between mid-August and the end of September.

Despite the defeat, the Brewers also qualified for the playoffs after the San Francisco Giants lost to the Padres and the Tampa Bay Rays topped the Philadelphia Phillies.

Milwaukee claimed the No. 8 seed and will play the Los Angeles Dodgers in the wild-card round.

"There's no reason to apologize for getting into the playoffs. ... We've got a chance to win the World Series," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said postgame Sunday, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

The Giants and Phillies were eliminated from contention with their losses.