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LOS ANGELES — The San Diego Padres are back in the postseason for a franchise-record third consecutive year.

Now, they want to win a World Series for the first time, having been there twice only to lose.

Manny Machado fielded Mookie Betts’ groundout to third base for the final out in a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that clinched a playoff berth, and the celebration was on.

“I was feeling nice,” Machado said in the cramped visitors’ clubhouse, his bare chest soaked with a mix of beer and Champagne. “We’re clinching!”

The Padres (89-70) partied inside and then came out on the Dodger Stadium field in matching black T-shirts to pose for photos. It’ll be their third straight postseason as a wild-card team.

“I’ve never won a championship,” Machado said. “I know what winning looks like. It takes a whole village to do it and we’ve been showing it this year. There’s been a lot of guys contributing in so many ways. It’s awesome to see it being done.”

Fernando Tatis Jr. stole two bases for the fourth time this season and extended his on-base streak to 18 games with a walk in the fourth against the Dodgers. He was 2 for 3 with an RBI.

“Let’s celebrate!” he screamed above the din in the darkened clubhouse. “We’re here for a reason. We’re ready to compete. We’re here for the long run.”

The Padres made franchise history under rookie manager Craig Stammen, a surprise pick by general manager A.J. Preller to replace Mike Shildt, who suddenly retired less than two weeks after the Padres were eliminated by the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in the wild-card round last season.

The 42-year-old Stammen was hired less than three years after retiring as a player despite having no coaching or managerial experience at any level. He’s been with the organization since 2017 and is best known for starting the deciding Game 3 of the 2020 Wild Card Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, who at the time were managed by Shildt. He pitched 1 2/3 innings as the first of nine pitchers the Padres used in the 4-0 win, which clinched their first postseason series victory since 1998.

The Padres popped half a game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 18 after Michael King struck out nine and Miguel Andujar hit a solo homer off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a 1-0 win at Petco Park on May 18. But they lost the next night and fell behind the two-time defending World Series champions by double digits by late June.

They were 48-48 at the All-Star break and in third place in the division and have gone 41-22 since then. They came up with a “pitching chaos” game plan to get them through a difficult period with their rotation, which is still thin without Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, who have missed the whole season. Nick Pivetta only recently returned from a long stint on the IL.

Pivetta fired 4 2/3 scoreless innings in his eighth career start against the Dodgers, allowing four hits and striking out seven.

Perhaps the biggest pickup of the offseason was first baseman Ty France, who was signed to a minor league free agent deal and made the team out of spring training, his second stint with the Padres. He is from West Covina, California, and played for Tony Gwynn at San Diego State. He’s hit a career-high 21 homers and played solid defense.

“I still felt like I had a lot left in the tank and a lot to offer to a team,” France said. “Very grateful and fortunate that it’s here.”

Tatis had an unfathomable home run drought to start the season. He didn’t hit his first home run until May 30 at Washington, his 56th game. He’s now recorded his fourth 25-homer season and has 38 stolen bases.

“We’re one, we’re one,” he said of the team unity. “It’s been that way for the whole year and we’re going to keep it that way.”

Infielder Jake Cronenworth has come on strong after missing significant time after getting grazed on the jaw by a 96 mph fastball at Anaheim on April 18, and center fielder Jackson Merrill, like Tatis, is a 25-25 guy.

Stammen hasn’t been afraid to experiment with the starting lineup, including moving Tatis from right to second for several games after Cronenworth was hurt.

Back in right field, Tatis had one of the biggest games of his career on Aug. 18 at the New York Mets when he robbed Francisco Lindor of a grand slam and hit two home runs.

The Padres were 58-54 going into the trade deadline on Aug. 3 and Preller not only kept All-Star closer Mason Miller, but added starters Robbie Ray and Casey Mize.

“You can never count them out,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said this week. “They’re just too talented.”

ARLINGTON, Texas — The mood had changed completely for the Texas Rangers by time they got back to the ballpark for their home finale while still trying to get in the playoffs.

“Coming into today, it just felt like ... we still have a heartbeat, still have a pulse and felt like we’d come out and play the game with our chest out and our chin up,” manager Skip Schumaker said after a 3-1 win in their series finale against the New York Mets.

That kept the Rangers (79-80) tied for the AL West lead with Houston going into the final weekend of the regular season. Texas plays three games at Minnesota, and has two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom (11-10) scheduled to start the series opener.

The Astros (79-80), who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas for the AL’s last available playoff spot, opened a four-game series at the Athletics with a 7-5 win.

When Texas players were leaving their clubhouse after a 7-2 loss to the Mets, their third defeat in a row, the Astros already had a 4-0 lead in the third inning in Seattle. They appeared on way to a one-game division lead, really a two-game edge since the Rangers have to finish ahead of them. But the Mariners rallied to win in 10 innings.

“It really keeps you in it. (The Astros) win last night, it’s definitely an uphill battle. So you take advantage of it, and fortunately we were able to,” shortstop Corey Seager said.

“Everybody’s eyes were in Seattle last night,” third baseman Josh Jung said. “I know we were all texting about it on the group chat. So definitely came in revitalized this morning.”

Jung, who has played only 11 games since missing nearly two months with a left calf strain, had a two-run homer in the first inning that put the Rangers ahead to stay. Seager snapped an 0-for-15 slide with his 19th homer leading off the sixth.

In this season when it will never be more than three games out of the division lead, Texas has to try to finish one game ahead of Houston.

When the Rangers won their only World Series title in 2023, they went into the postseason as the second wild card after Houston matched them at 90-72 on the final day of the regular season. The Astros also had the tiebreaker then, but this time there will not be a postseason spot for a second AL West team.

“I’m not even thinking about that. I’m thinking about tomorrow, winning tomorrow. That’s it,” said Schumaker, the first-year Rangers manager who took Miami to the NL playoffs as a wild card in 2023. “Jacob deGrom’s on the hill, and we have Corey Seager playing short, and JJ playing third, and I’m really excited about what the lineup looks like.”

BOSTON — Jo Adell isn’t much of a sparkling wine guy.

“I am tonight,” said the outfielder with a smile from inside a joyous visitors’ clubhouse at Fenway Park, as the Cleveland Guardians celebrated after earning their third straight trip to the playoffs with a 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Acquired by Cleveland from the Los Angeles Angels in advance of the trade deadline, the power-hitting Adell is heading to the postseason for the first time in his seven-year MLB career.

While it’s becoming a familiar refrain, seeing the Guardians play meaningful games in October, manager Stephen Vogt specifically noted Adell as one of the cool developments of the franchise’s latest postseason clincher.

“What I love is that we have a number of guys who have never been in this position, playing meaningful games in September or playoff baseball,” Vogt said. “It’s just so fun to watch Jo Adell celebrate. To me, that’s so special. He’s been a great player in this league and I’m excited to watch what he’s doing to do.”

The Guardians were 57-56 when they traded for Adell and trailed the Chicago White Sox by three games in AL Central. Chicago also is postseason-bound after defeating the Kansas City Royals 9-1.

“The Champagne is burning my eyes, and that’s a good thing,” said Adell, who has 22 home runs and 93 RBIs this season. “When I came here, I was so psyched with the ability to be who I am and help this team make a push to this point. We’ve had a lot of games where we’ve had to grind and try to figure it out, but to win a 1-0 game with the pitching performances we got is amazing.”

What does it mean to lead a team to three consecutive trips to MLB’s second season?

“Our fans get to watch playoff baseball. This is why we play. We play for our fans and we’re proud that we’re going again,” Vogt said.

A year ago, Cleveland rode a 20-8 record in September to earn an invite to the postseason. After Angel Martínez homered for the game’s lone run and All-Star closer Cade Smith struck out the side in the ninth inning for his MLB-best 41st save, the Guardians improved to 14-8 this month with three games remaining.

“I think we’ve been positioned all three years, but with our pitching and our lineup, we have the opportunity to hit with people (in scoring position). That hasn’t always been the case. I really like the way this offense has been clicking over the last couple of months, and we’re pitching well,” Vogt said. “You got hot at the right time, and this team is getting hot in September.”

The postseason berth might be secured, but the AL Central is still up for grabs. Cleveland heads into the final series of the regular season with a one-game lead over Chicago. The Guardians will play three games at Kansas City while the White Sox host the Colorado Rockies.

The winner of the Central will clinch the No. 2 seed in the American League bracket and won’t have to worry about the best-of-three Wild Card Series.

“We’re not done,” Adell said.

“One pitch at a time, one day at a time,” Martínez said. “Right now, it’s about enjoying. Tomorrow is another day.”

PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes is only too aware of the impossibly high bar he set for himself during his first two years in the major leagues.

And while his third didn’t come particularly close to meeting it, the Pittsburgh Pirates ace doesn’t view 2026 as a failure.

“I’m not going to sit around all offseason thinking about how bad this season was,” Skenes said after pitching 6 1/3 dominant innings in Pittsburgh’s 2-1 win over St. Louis. “Because I just don’t think that’s true.”

Yes, Skenes didn’t post a sub-2.00 ERA, as he did while winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2024 and Cy Young Award in 2025. Yes, he struggled with his command at times. Yes, his velocity dipped. Yes, there were days — particularly during a two-month stretch from mid-May to mid-July — in which the towering 24-year-old went winless.

His 10-11 record and a 3.82 ERA were not awful but far less than Skenes expected.

Yet for every moment of frustration, there was a moment of brilliance, the last during the seventh at sun-splashed PNC Park during Pittsburgh’s final home game of the season.

On the cusp of 200 strikeouts after six innings, Skenes negotiated with manager Don Kelly hoping to get the chance to head back to the mound.

Cool, Kelly told him, but make it quick.

Skenes rewarded Kelly’s gesture by having his 96th pitch of the day be among the best of the 2,896 he threw all year, a full-count 95 mph sinker that froze Leo Bernal so completely all Bernal could do was spin back toward the St. Louis dugout after plate umpire Scott Barry called strike three.

Kelly walked out to the mound a moment later and took the ball from Skenes for the final time in 2026. The crowd that came to watch Pittsburgh clinch its first non-losing season since 2018 initially booed, then rose to its feet in appreciation as Skenes sauntered down the dugout steps and out of sight.

“He got what he deserved,” Kelly said.

Even if Skenes and the Pirates didn’t get the year they wanted.

A club that began the season with playoff hopes set a franchise record for home runs hit and for strikeouts thrown. It also blew 25 save opportunities, lost rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin and center fielder Oneil Cruz for extended periods and saw its unquestioned leader labor through most of the summer.

Skenes knows if he had been a little better in June and July, Pittsburgh might have been playing meaningful baseball heading into the final week of the regular season.

“I understand the standard that was set the last couple of years, but I think there was a lot of good and stuff to get better at,” he said. “Probably some low-hanging fruit and some other stuff to address in the offseason.”

The most important number to Skenes wasn’t necessarily the speed of his four-seam fastball — which dropped from 98.2 mph in average velocity last year to 96.8 mph his season but his taking the ball every time it was his rotation turn.

Making 32 starts in consecutive seasons is not something Skenes takes for granted, even as the hitters he punched out so frequently in 2024 and 2025 started punching back. Skenes gave up career highs in homers (20) and walks (49).

Still, he somehow became just the second pitcher in the history of a franchise dating to 1892 to fan 200 batters in consecutive seasons. Bob Veale did it for three straight years in the mid-1960s.

It’s heady territory, even during a year in which the grind felt all too real for both Skenes and his team.

“This is my third year, and every year, at the end, we’re talking about ‘What’s it going to look like for next year?’ and I’m tired of it,” he said. “We are in a good position for next year, I know that, but it’s gonna be tough to think about that again for a whole offseason.”

Especially considering he has no idea how long the offseason might last.

Skenes is on the players’ association subcommittee that is negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. While he wasn’t yet born during the 7 1/2-month strike that spanned the 1994-95 seasons, he knows the stakes are incredibly high.

“We have an opportunity,” he said. “We’re stewards of the game. This is our game. This is as players, it’s also the owners’ game. And we are all stewards of the game and we have to protect it.”

The sooner an agreement is reached, the sooner Skenes can turn his attention to 2027, fueled by some of the lessons he learned during a year that didn’t go the way a notoriously meticulous planner planned.

“Everybody tells you, ‘You’ll be better off for it,’ and stuff like that,” Skenes said. “We’ll see. I don’t think it’s going to hurt. I definitely learned a lot, but won’t know until you’re in it again.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After becoming the first team in major league history to follow consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth, nobody would have begrudged the White Sox for spilling over the dugout railing and celebrating wildly on the field in Kauffman Stadium.

Instead, they matter-of-factly formed a handshake line, as if their 9-1 win over the Royals was any ‘ol mid-summer matinee.

They were saving the party for the clubhouse.

The White Sox clinched no worse than one of three AL wild-card spots with the rout in Kansas City, and in the plastic-draped visiting locker room, the bottles of Moët were stacking up quickly. Miguel Vargas was drenched, Munetaka Murakami was beaming and a team expected to finish last in the AL Central was relishing in a most improbable postseason appearance.

“This means a lot for us,” Vargas said. “We’ve been chasing this moment for a long time. It’s special for us. It’s special for the whole organization. This is a special group of guys, and this is the most fun we can have.”

That might be a bit of hyperbole. The White Sox could be replicating — or, one-upping — the celebration this weekend.

That’s because they still have their sights set on a division title. The White Sox are just a game back of Cleveland. Chicago is home for three games against last-place Colorado, while the Guardians are in Kansas City to wrap up the regular season.

Maybe that’s why the White Sox showed some restraint in celebrating their postseason berth right in front of the Royals.

They could still use a little help from them.

“They know what this is about,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “This comes with the expectation that this was going to happen, which is really cool. They’re definitely letting loose right now, we’ll have a fun plane ride, but then back to business tomorrow.”

It was a charmed all-around day for the city of Chicago. Just as the White Sox were securing a postseason pass, the Cubs were tying up a 2-1 win over the Marlins, clinching a wild-card spot of their own in the NL playoffs. Both Chicago teams reached the postseason for the fourth time after 1906, 2008 and 2020.

The Cubs made it last year, too, when the White Sox were busy losing 102 games and seemed to have little reason to hope.

It wasn’t just that the White Sox were two years removed from losing 121 games, setting a post-1900 record, or that no team had made the playoffs after consecutive 100-loss seasons — let alone three in a row. But even midway through April, they were making good — err, bad? — on most folks’ expectations, starting 6-13 and looking every bit the part of a perennial loser.

But then their youngsters starting slugging, and the White Sox started piling up wins.

Murakami, who signed a two-year, $34 million deal in December — after the White Sox paid a $6,575,000 posting fee to the Yakult Swallows — has 33 homers and drove in his 74th run. Vargas has been receiving some MVP hype after hitting 33 homers of his own and driving in 92. And Colson Montgomery, who tied Mark Reynolds’ season record of 223 strikeouts, has masked all those whiffs by hitting 31 homers and driving in 87 runs.

“W’s are all that matters,” Montgomery said, Champagne and beer dripping from his goggles in the middle of the pandemonium. “You see this? This is all that matters. Whatever I can do to help the team, that’s all I care about.”

Chicago’s trade of left-handed ace Garrett Crochet to the Red Sox in December 2024 also has paid long-term dividends.

Three players that the White Sox landed in the deal — Kyle Teel, Chase Meidroth and Braden Montgomery — were in the lineup, and all played a big role in helping the White Sox clinch the 12th postseason appearance.

Teel homered, reached base five times and scored three runs. Meidroth had a couple of hits, extending his on-base streak to 15 games. And batting last in the order, Montgomery had a hit and scored during a three-run second inning that broke open the game.

It was 6-0 after two innings and 8-0 after four. And pretty soon, plastic tarps were going up in the visitors clubhouse, an almost unfathomable party just 90 minutes away.

“This is what the White Sox is. We come together,” Murakami said, “and this is not the end. We’re going to start from here.”