The Minnesota Twins defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 in Game 2 of the Major League Baseball (MLB) American League (AL) Wild Card Series at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Wednesday, advancing to the AL Division Series.

Tuesday's 3-1 win was the Twins' first postseason win since 2004. Wednesday's victory marked their first series win since 2002. They will play the reigning World Series champions, the Houston Astros, next.

"It's hard to fathom how many times you get to the playoffs, and then you're swept and you're out," the Twins' pitcher Caleb Thielbar said. "It's hard to realize how quick that happens. Whatever our playoff run ends up being – to have a little bit of an extended run, I know it means a lot to the people out there. It means a lot to us in here, too, to be a part of the team that ends that streak. A lot of the guys in here throughout the week were talking about it – that we wanted to be the team that ends it. That was kind of a chip on our shoulder for us going into this postseason."

The Twins scored two runs in the fourth inning, but the game was not a done deal yet, especially when the Blue Jays had runners on second and third with two outs plus Bo Bichette in the batter’s box. Carlos Correa executed a pickoff of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at second base to kill the opponents' rally for the home team.

"For me, it was just about executing the play," Sonny Gray said of Correa. "But for him to have that awareness is what makes him special."

Other games on Wednesday:

The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers 5-2 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, winning the National League (NL) Wild Card Series 2-0. They will play the Los Angeles Dodgers next.

The Diamondbacks' right-handed ace Zac Gallen conceded two runs and allowed seven hitters to the plate after 32 pitches in the first inning. It turned out to be the biggest and the final offensive highlight for the Brewers.

Gallen kept the Brewers scoreless in the following five innings. Alek Thomas scored the Diamondbacks' first run with a homer in the fifth inning before the team gained the lead with a 4-0 rally in the sixth inning and kept it till the end of the game.

"I came in after the first and I said if you give me 110 [pitches], I'll get you seven [innings]," Gallen said of meeting manager Torey Lovullo in the dugout. "I lied. I only gave him six."

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Miami Marlins 7-1 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, winning the NL Wild Card Series 2-0. They will play the Atlanta Braves, who had 104 wins in the regular season, the most in the major league, in the NL Division Series.

Bryson Stott blasted the ball 412 feet away into the right-field seats in the sixth inning when there were three Phillies on the base, not only extending the side's lead to seven runs (7-0), but also hitting the second grand slam in playoffs history.

"I was running around the bases in kind of a blackout," Stott said. "I don't know, I have to go back and watch it."

The Texas Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 7-1 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, winning the AL Wild Card Series 2-0. They will play the AL leaders, the Baltimore Orioles, who won 101 games during the regular season, next.

The Rangers lost 102 and 94 games in the 2021 and the 2022 campaigns, respectively, finishing at the bottom in the AL West. Less than a week ago, they watched the Astros clinch the division title with the tiebreaker, though it was the Rangers that led the division for as long as 159 days.

"It's all about bouncing back, dealing with the tough times. You know you're going to have them," the Rangers' manager Bruce Bochy said. "What's important is how you handle it, and those guys have handled it so well. I think we were counted out earlier in the season or late August ... but what a job they did to bounce back and to be in this position."