PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies had the most at stake Sunday and — with the start time moved up 35 minutes and the final three innings played in a steady rain — they got what they desperately needed, a win that finally put them into the playoffs.
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Bryce Harper and Edmundo Sosa homered, and Zack Wheeler (14-5) delivered like a Game 7 ace to bring the Phillies back from the brink of collapse to claim the final National League wild-card berth.
The Phillies could have clinched a playoff berth as early as Wednesday before they lost four straight games and nearly coughed up their wild-card lead to Arizona. Philadelphia had a 6½-game lead over Arizona for the third NL wild card on Sept. 1 before going into a tailspin that spurred painful memories of the 1964 season.
Though the Rays came out on the wrong side of the 7-3 final, they reached some notable achievements of their own as they wrapped up a 98-win, American League East championship season and headed into a five-day break before opening division-series play Saturday against the winner of the Yankees-Red Sox wild-card matchup. The Rays rebounded from 77-85 last season to go 98-64.
That list is led by Junior Caminero, who further strengthened his case for the AL MVP award as he completed his second full major-league season by reaching a major personal milestone by starting all 162 games. Harper also played 162 games for the Phillies.
Caminero, 23, is the first third baseman to do that since former Ray Vinny Castilla for Colorado in 1998 (and the first American Leaguer since Cal Ripken Jr. in 1997) and just the third in more than 50 years.
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Caminero also is the fourth Ray to be in the lineup every day, joining Aubrey Huff (2003), Delmon Young (2007) and team Hall of Famer Evan Longoria (2014).
Caminero actually joined an even more elite group as the first player in the modern era to be that young — he turned 23 in July and is technically in his age 22 season — and hit 40-plus homers and play in all 162 games.
“He’s able to play a premium position at third base, and he wants to play every day — the makeup of a true superstar,” left fielder Chandler Simpson said. “He’s been that and more for us this year. It just speaks to everything about him. I mean, not only is he a great player, he’s a great person at that, a great teammate.”
Several Rays went into play with a chance to lead the AL in statistical categories: DH Yandy Diaz (hits), Simpson (singles, steals) and closer Bryan Baker (saves), pending results from other games.
Nick Martinez (15-6) started for the Rays, saying he considered his 31st start of the season the same as his first 30. But he ended up with an abbreviated outing, leaving in the third inning after throwing 50 pitches, having allowed seven hits and four runs.
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Jonny DeLuca took care of most of the offense, hitting his 10th and 11th homers.