Phillies to announce the hiring of Andy MacPhail at 2:30 today

By Jun 29, 2015, 9:52 AM EDT
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Ryne Sandberg bowed out Friday and today the next move in the reshaping of the Phillies future goes down:

This has been a long-anticipated move, in which the man who built the 1980s-early 90s Twins, helped improve the Cubs and then set the Orioles on the road back to respectability will come in to be the Phillies’ next president. As previously discussed, it is expected that MacPhail will take over for Pat Gillick, who will fill an emeritus-type role for the remainder of the season. It is also expected that Ruben Amaro will be assessed between now and October, with many suspecting that he will eventually be replaced.

Jim Sailisbury of CSNPhilly.com has a story this morning about all of the changes facing the Phillies in what shapes up to be their most important week as a franchise in many, many years.

Blue Jays clinch playoff berth with Orioles’ loss to Red Sox

Associated PressSep 29, 2022, 11:49 PM EDT
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TORONTO — The Blue Jays clinched a postseason berth Thursday without taking the field.

Toronto was assured of an AL wild card berth when the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3.

If Toronto holds its current position as the first of the AL’s three wild cards, the Blue Jays would open a best-of-three wild-card series at Rogers Centre next week.

“These guys are excited to be in this position,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after Wednesday’s 8-3 loss to the New York Yankees. “You’ve got three really good pitchers lined up against a good Boston team, playing at home. So I think it’s more excitement more than it’s nerves or anything. I think the guys are going to come out and be ready to roll on Friday night.”

Toronto became the fourth AL team to clinch a playoff berth, joining division champions Houston, the Yankees and Cleveland. The Astros and Yankees have first-round byes.

The Blue Jays last went to the playoffs in 2020, when they were knocked out with two straight losses to Tampa Bay.

Eight of the 12 berths in the expanded postseason have been clinched: The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis earned division titles, and Atlanta and the New York Mets are assured no worse the wild cards while still competing to win the NL East. The Dodgers have a first-round bye.