The American League postseason picture is now clear after the Boston Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays in a rain-shortened game Tuesday.
Tampa Bay is officially the No. 6 seed, which means it will begin the playoffs on the road against the 3-seed Cleveland Guardians. The Rays' loss also means the Seattle Mariners claim the No. 5 seed, so they will head to Canada to play the 4-seed Toronto Blue Jays.
Following Tuesday's victory against the Detroit Tigers, Mariners manager Scott Servais confirmed that Luis Castillo would start Game 1 of their wild-card matchup against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.
The Blue Jays will counter with right-hander Alek Manoah in Game 1, the team announced on Wednesday.
The 1-seed Houston Astros will face the winner of the Mariners and Blue Jays in the ALDS, while the 2-seed New York Yankees will take on either the Rays or Guardians.
The wild-card series starts Friday and goes through Sunday. Start times were announced on Wednesday:
| DATE | SERIES | 1ST PITCH (ET) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 7 | TB @ CLE | 12:07 p.m. |
| Oct. 7 | SEA @ TOR | 4:07 p.m. |
| Oct. 8 | TB @ CLE | 12:07 p.m. |
| Oct. 8 | SEA @ TOR | 4:07 p.m. |
| Oct. 9* | SEA @ TOR | 2:07 p.m. |
| Oct. 9* | TB @ CLE | 4:07 p.m. |
*if necessary
