CHICAGO (AP) — After 20 consecutive years of losing, the Pittsburgh Pirates clinched at least a National League wild card when they beat the Chicago Cubs and Washington lost to St. Louis on Monday.
It will be Pittsburgh’s first trip to the postseason since Barry Bonds, Jim Leyland and Co. won three straight NL East titles from 1990-92. Bonds then left for San Francisco as a free agent, and the smallbudget Pirates piled up two decades of losing records — the longest streak in the four major professional sports.
Reds in, too
No champagne. No curtain call in front of joyous fans. No celebrating at all, really. The Cincinnati Reds clinched a playoff spot with hardly any notice.
Shin-Soo Choo drove in the winning run with a single off the left-center field wall in the 10th inning, and the Reds secured their third playoff spot in four years shortly after beating the New York Mets. Eight minutes later, St. Louis Cardinals beat Washington, clinching an NL wild card for Pittsburgh.
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