A bandwagon fan's guide to the Blue Jays' playoff run

After narrowly missing out on the postseason in 2021, the Toronto Blue Jays have punched their ticket to the American League playoffs in a newly expanded wildcard field. The team clinched a spot Thursday afternoon when the Baltimore Orioles lost to the Boston Red Sox. 

But say you haven't been feverishly watching the boys of summer for all 162 games this season — and now that the playoffs are on the horizon, you're ready for some baseball. What should you know beforehand?

Here is the bandwagon fan's guide to the Jays in the playoffs in 2022.

It was odd, but yes, the Blue Jays could pop some champagne to celebrate on Thursday, even though it was an off day on their schedule.

Rather than try to explain the arcane mathematics that Major League Baseball uses to determine the standings, let's just say all that had to happen for Toronto to clinch was an Orioles loss.

And Baltimore obliged by losing to the Red Sox. 

If you moved quickly enough on Wednesday, you could. Roughly an hour after tickets went on sale in the morning there was a smattering of lower bowl seats available in the $150-ish range for Game 1, plus a wider selection of seats in the 500s going for around $80.

There were more options in similar price ranges available for games two and three of the Jays' wildcard series, as well as the American League division series, should the team advance.

But as time goes on, you'll likely be at the mercy of resellers — and no doubt higher prices, too.

All signs point to Toronto facing off against the Tampa Bay Rays in the wildcard series. The head-to-head record between the two teams is split almost evenly, with the Rays winning 10 games to the Jays' nine.

Toronto has a slightly better overall record for the 2022 season,