The Tampa Bay Rays got the better of the Baltimore Orioles 5-3, but unfortunately it was not enough to seal a playoff berth for them this season.
Rays manager Joe Maddon said he would watch a replay of the NFL game between the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys rather than worry about the outcome of the Oakland's game.
Tampa Bay have won for the 11th time in 12 games. This had really helped their chances of obtaining the AL's second wild card. Although it's a different story now.
They started the game on Monday trailing the Athletics by three games and needed to sweep the Baltimore Orioles and hope the Athletics lost three straight games to the Rangers to keep their hopes alive. But with the Athletics beating the Rangers, that did not happen.
The Orioles have already clinched a berth in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. They are now trailing the Yankees by one game after the Yankees beat Boston.
Maddon said: "We've played 12 playoff games and we've won 11 of them. But we do need help, there's no question about that. Again, regardless, I just love the way our guys are going about their business."
Orioles outfielder, Adam Jones added: "We didn't take care of our business. We lost. When it comes to the Yankees, we can't control them. We can't control if they win or lose."
The Orioles arrived later than expected for their season ending series in St. Petersburg since their plane had diverted to Jacksonville due to a fire in the galley.
Prior to the game, Jones said: "We've clinched a spot, but we've got an opportunity to win the East. That's big. You get to put up a banner at Camden Yards. It speaks something about the team. It means you finished ahead of the Yankees and Boston and Tampa Bay, everybody."
Alex Cobb, the rays pitcher, who retired 10 in a row added: "It is frustrating when it's out of your hands, but we put ourselves in that position. We could have held our own destiny. Even coming into the last road trip we had that chance, but we let a couple slip that we wish we could have had back, but we're doing all we can now with what we have."
Maddon had already made his intentions clear. Although he hoped for another dramatic finish he said that he wouldn't worry if the Rays fell short of earning their fourth playoff berth in five seasons.
"Honestly, it just is what it is," he said. "We had opportunities early in the year to win more games, and we did not. But so did everybody else. Everybody else is going to be bemoaning the same points if they don't get there at this juncture.
"So for me, it's about staying right here, keeping the blinders on. It's about moving it forward, organizationally speaking. We've still got a heartbeat. Let's see what happens. I expect to come out (Tuesday) with another game that means something."
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