Padres end the game with triple play and secure playoff spot: “It’s shocking”

The San Diego Padres secured a place in the playoffs on Tuesday night in one of the most dramatic ways ever

The Padres led the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 in the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium and had already scored a run to cut the deficit to two. With the bases loaded, Miguel Rojas at bat and Shohei Ohtani on the pitch, the unthinkable happened.

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San Diego's Fernando Tatis Jr. (center) celebrates with teammates after the Padres clinched a playoff spot with a triple play against the Dodgers on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Rojas made a game-ending triple play, initiated by third baseman Manny Machado, who stepped on third base and threw the ball around the horn line to end the game.

“It's shocking,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said afterward. “It's the most unlikely outcome.”

San Diego picked up its 91st win of the season and moved within two games of the National League West division leader, which the Dodgers hold, with five games to go.

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The San Diego Padres celebrate after securing a playoff spot in Los Angeles on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

The Padres were thrilled with the win.

“That couldn't have been written better, man,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “What a play by Manny, a phenomenal play.”

With that game, the Padres joined an exclusive club of teams that have pulled off a triple play on the same day they clinched a postseason berth, joining the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020 and the Chicago Cubs in 1910 and 1907, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

It was the Padres' first triple play since June 10, 2010 against the New York Mets.

San Diego Padres manager Mike Shildt, left, celebrates with general manager AJ Preller after they clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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“On the other hand, they're a damn good ball club, so we've got to go out and play better,” Machado said of the Dodgers. “We did that tonight.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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