Salvador Perez's solo home run ignited a four-run fourth inning that sparked the Kansas City Royals to a crucial 4-2 win over the New York Yankees in Monday's Game 2 of the teams' American League DIvision Series.

Tommy Pham, Garrett Hampson and Maikel Garcia each delivered run-scoring singles during the big inning, while four Kansas City relievers kept the Yankees' potent bats largely quiet the rest of the way as the Royals evened this best-of-five series at 1-1.

Garcia finished 4 for 5 to tie a franchise record for hits in a post-season game.

The fifth-seeded Royals, making their first post-season appearance since 2015, will now host the next two meetings with Game 3 scheduled for Wednesday in Kansas City.

New York, the AL's top seed, got a ninth-inning home run from Jazz Chisholm but a shaky performance from starting pitcher Carlos Rodon, who held the Royals scoreless for the first three innings before getting hit hard in the fourth.

Perez, the last remaining member of Kansas City's 2015 World Series champion team, started the uprising with a long home run to left field that tied the game at 1-1.

Yuli Gurriel followed Perez's blast with a single and took second on Rodon's wild pitch before scoring the go-ahead run on Pham's one-out single.

Pham stole second and later crossed the plate on Hampson's two-out single that chased Rodon. Garcia then greeted reliever Ian Hamilton with a single to bring in Hampson, who advanced to second on the throw home to try to prevent Pham's run, for a 4-1 advantage.

Angel Zerpa (1-0) and John Schreiber threw a scoreless inning each to protect the lead before Kris Bubic worked the seventh and eighth to maintain the three-run cushion.

Lucas Erceg came on in the ninth and allowed Chisholm's lead-off homer, but retired the three of the next four Yankee hitters for his third save of these playoffs.

Rodon struck out seven in 3 2/3 innings, but was charged with all four runs while surrendering seven hits.

Cole Ragans threw the first four innings for Kansas City and issued four walks, but allowed just one run on three hits while striking out five.

New York's lone run against Ragans came in the third. Gleyber Torres drew a lead-off walk, moved to second on an Austin Wells single and came home on Giancarlo Stanton's single.

 

Carpenter's homer in ninth gets Tigers even with Guardians

In the AL's other Division Series, Kerry Carpenter's three-run homer off All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase in the ninth inning broke a scoreless tie and lifted the Detroit Tigers to a much-needed 3-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

With two on and two out in the top of the ninth, Carpenter drove a slider from Clase over the right field wall to finally put Detroit ahead in a game dominated by pitching and defence to that point.

Beau Brieske then struck out two in a perfect bottom of the ninth to allow the sixth-seeded Tigers to send this best-of-five series to Detroit tied at 1-1. Game 3 will be held Wednesday at Comerica Park.

Clase, the AL leader with 47 saves during the regular season, retired the first two Detroit hitters in the top of the ninth before Jake Rogers extended the Tigers' half of the inning with a single. Trey Sweeney followed with a single before Carpenter delivered just the third home run Cleveland's usually dominant reliever has allowed in 2024.

The blast also ended Detroit's 17-inning scoreless streak to begin this series, which the second-seeded Guardians opened with Saturday's 7-0 victory. 

Clase had not permitted more than one run in any of his 75 previous appearances this season and yielded just five earned runs in a combined 75 1/3 innings going in.

Carpenter's homer made a winner out of Will Vest after the right-hander threw one scoreless inning in relief of Detroit ace Tarik Skubal, who held the Guardians to just three hits and struck out eight in seven innings.

Cleveland used five pitchers to keep the game 0-0 through eight innings, with former Tiger Matthew Boyd striking out five over the first 4 2/3 innings.

Both teams had scoring chances earlier in the contest, with the Tigers nearly taking the lead in the eighth after putting two on with two out. Wenceel Perez then greeted Clase with a sinking line drive that was caught by a diving Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan to end the threat.

Cleveland threatened in both the fifth and sixth, but came away empty both times as Skubal induced inning-ending double-play grounders with two runners on base on both occasions.

 

Nick Castellanos once again delivered a clutch hit for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Castellanos, who led all of MLB with four walk-off hits this season, sent the Phillies to a 7-6 win over the New York Mets with a game-ending single with two outs in the ninth inning off Tylor Megill to even the NL Division Series at one game apiece.

Philadelphia needed Castellanos' heroics after Mark Vientos hit a two-run homer with one out in the top of the ninth to tie the score at 6-6. It was the second two-run homer of the day for Vientos, and Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo added solo shots for New York.

The Phillies trailed 4-3 in the eighth until Bryson Stott lined a two-run triple down the right-field line off Mets closer Edwin Díaz to put Philadelphia ahead. Stott later came around to score on J.T. Realmuto's grounder.

Philadelphia was held off the scoreboard until the sixth inning when Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer and Castellanos followed with a solo blast two pitches later off Mets starter Luis Severino.

Game 3 between these NL East rivals is Tuesday in New York.

 

 

Padres crush six homers to rout Dodgers in Game 2

The San Diego Padres tied an MLB play-off record with six home runs in a 10-2 pounding of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 for their first win in this NLDS series.

The game took an ugly turn in the seventh inning, when fans at Dodger Stadium threw baseballs at San Diego left fielder Jurickson Profar, as well as trash on the warning track near the Padres bullpen. The game was delayed for 12 minutes.

Profar was in the middle of a couple of heated moments. In the sixth inning, he exchanged words with Dodgers catcher Will Smith after starting pitcher Jack Flaherty hit Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch, and in the first inning, Profar reached over the wall to rob a potential home run by Mookie Betts and promptly stared down some fans.

 

Tatis hit a pair of home runs, while David Peralta and Jackson Merrill each hit two-run homers, and Xander Bogaerts and Kyle Higashioka added solo shots.

Yu Darvish held Los Angeles to one run and three hits over seven innings, while the top of the Dodgers' batting order struggled.

Shohei Ohtani went 0 for 4, Betts was hitless in a sixth consecutive play-off game and Freddie Freeman struck out and flied out in two at-bats before exiting after five innings with discomfort in his sprained right ankle.

Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer in his postseason debut, Teoscar Hernández’s two-run single gave Los Angeles its first lead in a playoff game in two years, and the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 7-5 in their NL Division Series opener Saturday.

Manny Machado's two-run homer off Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto, also making his first playoff appearance, put Los Angeles in an early 3-0 hole.

Ohtani quickly bailed out the Dodgers with his two-out homer that tied it 3-all in the second inning. The Japanese superstar went deep with fans chanting “MVP! MVP!” His shot travelled 372 feet to right field, the sellout crowd of 53,028 recording it all on their phones.

San Diego went ahead 5-3 before the Dodgers rallied with three runs in the fourth.

Tommy Edman scored on a wild pitch by reliever Adrian Morejon, who took the loss. Ohtani had a broken-bat single and later scored, along with Mookie Betts, on Hernández’s single off Jeremiah Estrada that put the Dodgers ahead 6-5.

It was their first lead in a postseason game since the seventh inning of Game 4 against the Padres in the 2022 NLDS. Los Angeles was swept by Arizona in a Division Series last year.

Trailing 7-5, the Padres had the potential tying runs on base with two outs in the ninth. Fernando Tatis Jr. singled off Blake Treinen before Jurickson Profar walked to bring up Machado, who struck out swinging.

 

Mets rally again for another win

Mark Vientos and Brandon Nimmo sparked another comeback in New York’s electric run through the National League playoffs, helping the Mets score five runs in the eighth inning against a pair of All-Star relievers as they rallied for a 6-2-win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of their Division Series.

Phillies ace Zack Wheeler struck out nine and limited the Mets to just one hit over the first seven innings but was lifted after a startling 30 swings-and-misses over 111 pitches.

New York then pounced on Philadelphia relievers Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm in the eighth.

In true Mets fashion this October, the Mets had to rally, not just on the scoreboard, but on a gut-check in each at-bat.

Francisco Alvarez hit a leadoff single against Hoffman before three straight batters reached base after facing 0-2 counts. Francisco Lindor worked a walk from his 0-2 count and Vientos followed with a tying single. Nimmo laced a go-ahead single off Strahm past a drawn-in infield for the 2-1 lead.

After Pete Alonso lofted a sacrifice fly for a 3-1 lead, Jose Iglesias singled and J.D. Martinez greeted Orion Kerkering with an RBI single. Starling Marte’s sacrifice fly capped the uprising.

The Mets have scored 18 runs in the eighth and ninth innings over six games since Monday. New York joined the 1980 Phillies and 1999 Mets as the only teams to win consecutive playoff games after trailing in the eighth inning or later.

 

Verdugo lifts Yankees over Royals

Alex Verdugo hit a tiebreaking single in the seventh inning and saved at least one run with a sliding catch along the left-field line, boosting the New York Yankees to a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals in their AL Division Series opener.

New York’s Gleyber Torres and Kansas City’s MJ Melendez hit two-run homers in a back-and-forth game in which the Royals wasted leads of 1-0, 3-2 and 5-4 and the Yankees failed to hold 2-1 and 4-3 margins.

Kansas City pitchers tied its season high with eight walks, forcing in a pair of runs in the fifth inning. The Yankees were just 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position before Verdugo lined a single off loser Michael Lorenzen to make it 6-5.

Verdugo’s hit scored Jazz Chisholm Jr., who singled leading off and stole second on a play allowed to stand following a video review. Yankees manager Aaron Boone started Verdugo in left over rookie Jasson Domínguez in a defense-influenced decision. Verdugo entered the game in a 2-for-34 skid at the plate.

With the Yankees trailing 3-2, Verdugo made a sliding catch on Michael Massey’s fourth-inning fly just inside the line to strand two runners. The ball hit Verdugo’s right wrist just below his glove and bounced off his chest before he grabbed it with his bare left hand.

Four Yankees relievers combined to allow only an unearned run over four innings after ace Gerrit Cole allowed four runs in five-plus innings. Clay Holmes, dropped from his closer’s job last month, worked 1 2/3 innings for the win. Luke Weaver got four straight outs with three strikeouts for the save in his postseason debut.

Yankees star Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, and Royals standout Bobby Witt Jr. was 0 for 5, barking at plate umpire Adam Hamari after a called third strike in the ninth.

 

Guardians strike quick, blank Tigers

Lane Thomas highlighted a five-run first inning with a three-run homer and the Cleveland Guardians unleashed their lights-out bullpen to complete a four-hitter in a 7-0 win over the Tigers in an AL Division Series opener.

Thomas' shot - on his first career postseason swing – off reliever Reese Olson helped the Guardians cool off the Tigers, who stormed into the playoffs with a second-half surge before sweeping AL West champion Houston in the wild-card round.

Tanner Bibee pitched 4 2/3 innings before Guardians manager Stephen Vogt swung the door open to baseball's best bullpen to finish off the Tigers.

Cleveland's relievers combined for 4 1/3 hitless innings to finish and match the largest shutout victory margin in club postseason history. Detroit struck out 13 times and didn't get a runner past first in the final four innings.

The shutout was the worst in Detroit playoff history since Game 1 of the 1945 World Series.

Cleveland's bullpen was as advertised. Rookie Cade Smith replaced Bibee and struck out all four batters. Tim Herrin fanned two in the seventh, Hunter Gaddis pitched the eighth, and Emmanuel Clase, who led the AL with 47 saves, worked the ninth.

David Fry added a two-run double for the AL Central champion Guardians, who were unaffected by not playing for almost a week with a first-round bye.

Pete Alonso delivered a clutch, three-run homer off closer Devin Williams in the ninth inning and the New York Mets rallied for a wild 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night to win their NL Wild Card Series.

The Mets' comeback victory in the decisive Game 3 gave them their first playoff series win since claiming the NL pennant in 2015. They advance to a Division Series beginning Saturday at rival Philadelphia against the NL East champion Phillies.

The Brewers, making their sixth playoff appearance in the last seven years, still haven't won a postseason series since reaching Game 7 of the NL Championship Series in 2018.

Milwaukee appeared to have the victory in hand after Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick broke a scoreless tie by opening the seventh inning with back-to-back homers off José Buttó. Tobias Myers and three relievers had combined on a two-hit shutout through the first eight innings.

Twelve straight Mets had been retired when they opened the ninth against Williams, a two-time NL reliever of the year who had earned the save Wednesday in Milwaukee’s Game 2 victory.

But Francisco Lindor opened the ninth by walking on a 3-2 pitch. After Mark Vientos struck out, Brandon Nimmo singled to put runners at the corners.

That brought up Alonso, who has 226 career homers in six seasons but hadn’t gone deep since Sept. 19.

After getting ahead 3-1 in the count, Alonso sent a 3-1 changeup over the wall in right field to give the Mets the lead.

Edwin Díaz pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win and David Peterson, making his first relief appearance of the season, worked the ninth for his first major league save.

Andy Ibáñez hit a tiebreaking three-run double in Detroit's four-run eighth inning, and the Tigers finished a sweep of the Houston Astros with a 5-2 victory in Game 2 of their AL Wild Card Series on Wednesday.

Parker Meadows homered as Detroit ended Houston's run of seven consecutive appearances in the AL Championship Series. It was a sweet moment for Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, who led Houston to a championship in 2017 and was fired in the aftermath of the Astros' sign-stealing scandal.

Next up for the wild-card Tigers is a trip to Cleveland to take on the AL Central champions in a best-of-five AL Division Series. Game 1 is on Saturday.

Kerry Carpenter sparked Detroit's eighth-inning rally with a one-out single off Ryan Pressly, who converted his first 14 postseason save opportunities. Carpenter advanced to third on a single by Matt Vierling and scored on a wild pitch, tying it at 2.

Pressly departed after Colt Keith reached on a two-out walk, and closer Josh Hader walked Spencer Torkelson to load the bases.

Hinch then sent Ibáñez up to hit for Zach McKinstry, and Ibáñez lined a 1-2 sinker into the corner in left for a 5-2 lead.

Hader, who signed a $95 million, five-year contract with Houston in January, allowed three hits and walked two in 1 1/3 innings.

Detroit used seven different pitchers a day after ace Tarik Skubal won the series opener. Sean Guenther pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win in Game 2, and Will Vest handled the ninth for the save.

Just making it to the playoffs seemed improbable before Detroit went 31-13 down the stretch in the regular season.

 

Padres finish off Braves

Kyle Higashioka ignited a five-run second inning with a solo home run and the San Diego Padres held on for a 5-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves to complete a sweep of their NL Wild Card Series.

Manny Machado added a two-run double with the bases loaded, and Jackson Merrill followed with a two-run triple as the sellout crowd of 47,705 - the largest in Petco Park history - roared.

The Padres head up Interstate 5 to face Shohei Ohtani and the NL West rival and top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in a National League Division Series starting Saturday night. San Diego eliminated the 111-win Dodgers in a 2022 NLDS.

Jorge Soler hit a solo homer in the fifth and Michael Harris II had a two-run shot in the eighth, but Robert Suarez pitched a perfect ninth to seal the one-run victory.

Both starting pitchers exited early.

Atlanta left-hander Max Fried was done after two innings after he was hit on his left hip by a comebacker from Fernando Tatis Jr. two batters into the game. He stayed in and got out of a bases-loaded jam. He then allowed five runs on six straight hits with two outs in the second. 

Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove departed in the fourth with right elbow tightness. He had two stints on the injured list this season with right elbow inflammation.

 

Royals complete sweep of punchless Orioles

Bobby Witt Jr. beat out an infield single to drive in the go-ahead run and send the Kansas City Royals into an AL Division Series with a 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles for a two-game sweep of their Wild Card Series.

With two outs and runners at the corners in the sixth inning, Witt hit a grounder to the edge of the dirt behind second base, where Jordan Westburg made a diving stop and threw to first. Witt was already there after zooming 90 feet in 4.14 seconds, allowing Kyle Isbel to score from third.

It was the second consecutive game in which the AL batting champion provided the decisive hit. Witt's RBI single Tuesday in Game 1 plated the only run in a 1-0 victory.

Kansas City, which endured two seven-game losing streaks over the final month of the season, advances to face the AL East champion New York Yankees. Game 1 is Saturday in the Bronx.

Baltimore got its only run of the series on Cedric Mullins’ fifth-inning home run off starter Seth Lugo.

Five Kansas City relievers allowed one hit over 5 2/3 scoreless innings, with Lucas Erceg working a perfect ninth for his second save of the series.

The Orioles went 1 for 13 with runners in scoring position in the series and struck out 22 times.

They have lost 10 straight postseason games for the longest active streak in baseball. Only three teams in MLB history have lost more postseason games in a row than the 2014-2024 Orioles.

 

Brewers rally to force Game 3

Jackson Chourio tied it in the eighth with his second homer of the night and Garrett Mitchell delivered a two-run shot later in the inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 victory over the New York Mets that evened their NL Wild Card Series.

The teams will play a decisive Game 3 on Thursday night. The Brewers will attempt to become the first team to rally to win a best-of-three Wild Card Series after losing the opener since MLB went to this expanded playoff format in 2022.

Milwaukee trailed 3-2 when Chourio led off the eighth by homering off Phil Maton, making his fourth appearance on the mound in five days. The 20-year-old rookie also opened the bottom of the first with a drive to right, becoming the youngest player to hit a leadoff homer in the postseason.

After Blake Perkins singled and William Contreras hit into a double play, Willy Adames kept the eighth inning alive with a single. Mitchell then sent a first-pitch curveball just over the wall in right-center to send the American Family Field crowd into a frenzy.

Joe Ross pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win and Devin Williams retired the side in order in the ninth to earn the save.

 

Michael King matched a season high with 12 strikeouts over seven innings and Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a two-run homer on his first playoff swing in four years as the San Diego Padres defeated the Atlanta Braves 4-0 in an NL Wild Card Series opener on Tuesday night.

King was stellar in becoming the first pitcher to have 12 strikeouts with no runs and no walks allowed in his first career postseason start. He joined Kevin Brown and Sterling Hitchcock as the only Padres pitchers with double-digit strikeout games in playoff history. He allowed five hits and walked none.

Jason Adam struck out the side in the eighth and Robert Suarez pitched the ninth.

Tatis' 415-foot shot landed in the second deck in left field at Petco Park and sent the towel-waving, sellout crowd of 47,647 into a frenzy. The 25-year-old star, who missed just more than 2 1/2 months this season with a stress reaction in his right thighbone, watched the ball fly away, tossed his bat aside, gestured toward the home dugout and did his signature stutter-step around third base.

Game 2 in the best-of-three playoff is Wednesday night. If the Padres win the series, they'll face their biggest rivals, the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers, in the National League Division Series. The Padres eliminated the 111-win Dodgers in a 2022 NLDS.

Kyle Higashioka homered in the eighth and had a sacrifice fly in the second. He is 3 for 30 against Atlanta, with three homers.

The Braves clinched a playoff berth by winning the second game of a makeup doubleheader against the New York Mets on Monday in Atlanta. They are without NL Cy Young Award favourite Chris Sale for this series. The left-hander was scratched from the late game Monday with spasms.

 

Skubal pitches Tigers past Astros for 1-0 series lead

Tarik Skubal tossed six shutout innings in his postseason debut, and the Detroit Tigers held on to beat the Houston Astros 3-1 in Game 1 of their best-of-three AL wild-card series.

The win was the Tigers’ first in the playoffs since 2013.

Skubal, a heavy favourite to win the AL Cy Young Award, struck out six, allowing four hits and a walk in his first taste of the MLB playoffs.

Detroit scored all their runs with two outs in the second inning, with Jake Rogers, Trey Sweeney and Matt Vierling each hitting RBI singles off Houston starter Framber Valdez.

Valdez was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.

The Astros’ bats were held quiet for most of the afternoon until a ninth-inning rally that ultimately came up short.

Yordan Alvarez led off the ninth with a double before being subbed out for pinch runner Zach Denzenzo, who scored on a Yainer Diaz single off Jason Foley.

Beau Brieske entered with one out and walked the bases loaded before forcing Jason Heyward to line out to end the game.

 

Witt delivers as Royals blank Orioles

Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI single off Corbin Burnes broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning, Cole Ragans pitched six strong innings, and the Kansas City Royals edged the Baltimore Orioles 1-0 in a wild-card Game 1.

The defeat extended Baltimore’s postseason losing streak to nine games, dating back to the 2014 ALCS against Kansas City.

Witt slapped a single into left field with two outs in the sixth inning, driving in Maikel Garcia for the game’s only run.

Witt spoiled an otherwise sterling performance from Burnes, who gave up five hits – all singles – over eight innings.

Ragans allowed four hits over six innings while striking out eight, throwing 60 of his 80 pitches for strikes.

Sam Long, Kris Bubic and Lucas Erceg allowed just one hit out of the bullpen over the game’s last three innings.

Cedric Mullins and Ramon Urias hit doubles for the Orioles, who managed just five hits.

 

Mets ride momentum to opening win

Mark Vientos highlighted a five-run fifth inning with a two-run single to lead the indefatigable New York Mets to an 8-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in an NL Wild Card Series opener.

The Mets didn’t earn a playoff berth until they rallied late from a three-run deficit to win the opening game of a makeup doubleheader in Atlanta on Monday, one day after the regular season was supposed to end.

Now they’re a win from heading to Philadelphia for an NL Division Series.

Since Major League Baseball went to the current postseason format in 2022 that features four best-of-three Wild Card Series, the Game 1 winner has gone on to advance in each of the eight series. Only one of those eight series even made it to a winner-take-all third game.

Milwaukee has lost 10 of its last 11 playoff games, a stretch that began with its Game 7 home defeat against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 NL Championship Series.

Jesse Winker and pinch-hitter J.D. Martinez each drove in two runs for the Mets. Winker, who batted .199 with a .567 OPS for the Brewers last year before bouncing back this season, drew a chorus of boos each time he batted and appeared to exchange words with Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames after hitting a two-run triple in the second.

Luis Severino allowed four runs and eight hits over six innings and Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek combined to pitch three hitless innings with four strikeouts in relief.

Brice Turang had three hits and William Contreras had two hits and two RBIs for the Brewers.

Major League Baseball career hits leader Pete Rose, who was banned from the game and barred from the Hall of Fame for gambling on his sport, has died. He was 83 years old.

A spokesperson from Clark County, Nevada, confirmed Rose’s death on Monday. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

Starring for his home-town Cincinnati Reds in the 1960s and ‘70s, Rose was the heart and soul of the “Big Red Machine” and helped them win two World Series titles and four National League pennants.

A 17-time All-Star, “Charlie Hustle” was an unquestioned fan favourite on the field, known for his relentless play and passionate demeanour. Playing in 24 major league seasons, Rose accumulated 4,256 career hits, long considered one of baseball’s most unbreakable records.

Rose broke the previous hits record in 1985, surpassing Ty Cobb’s mark of 4,191 hits to nationwide adulation, and he even received a call from President Ronald Reagan.

Rose’s sterling legacy, however, was tarnished just four years later by one of the most infamous scandals in sports history.

On March 20, 1989, Major League Baseball opened an enquiry into gambling allegations against Rose, who had taken over as the Reds’ manager. The Commissioner’s Office found that Rose placed bets through bookies and friends on baseball games, including ones involving his own team.

MLB’s enquiry found that “accumulated testimony of witnesses, together with the documentary evidence and telephone records, reveal extensive betting activity by Pete Rose in connection with professional baseball and, in particular, Cincinnati Reds games, during the 1985, 1986, and 1987 baseball seasons.”

In August 1989, Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti announced Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball. “One of the game’s greatest players has engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he must now live with the consequences of those acts,” Giamatti said.

In 1991, the Hall of Fame ruled that Rose’s transgressions made him ineligible for induction.

Rose initially maintained his innocence and downplayed the ban, believing that he would one day be reinstated.

As time passed, however, he changed his tune. In a memoir released three months after his ban, Rose admitted to gambling on baseball, but legally.

In “Play Hungry,” a memoir published in 2019, he seemed to admit to all the allegations.

“I don’t think betting is morally wrong. I don’t even think betting on baseball if morally wrong,” Rose wrote. “There are legal ways, and there are illegal ways, and betting on baseball the way I did was against the rules of baseball.”

Rose’s banishment would go on to serve as a precedent, with certain voters refusing to vote for some players who played in the “steroid era” of the 1990s and 2000s.

As Rose aged, his disgrace gradually faded from public consciousness, and there were some who lobbied for the ban to be lifted, believing that four decades of ostracisation was punishment enough.

While Rose never got to see his bust in Cooperstown, he is represented by several pieces of memorabilia in the Hall of Fame, including the cleats he wore when he became baseball’s hits king.

Rose was voted the 1973 NL MVP, and a helmet from that season also resides in Cooperstown, a reluctant nod to one of baseball's iconic players.

While Rose played stints with the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos, he played more than 18 seasons with the Reds, sharing the field with Hall of Famers like Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Perez.

The switch-hitting Rose was the lead-off hitter and tone-setter for the Reds’ feared Great Eight lineup, and Cincinnati inducted him into the team’s Hall of Fame in 2016. A year later, the club retired his No. 14 and unveiled a bronze statue outside of Great American Ballpark.

His fans will remember Rose for his enthusiasm and competitiveness as much as for his measurable achievements.

Rose was known for giving full effort to the game he loved, and he earned his “Charlie Hustle” moniker for running to first base even after walks.

In so many ways, Rose embodied everything baseball fans have loved about the game for over a century, but that legacy will forever be coupled with his wrongdoings and public fall from grace.  

Rose was a career .303 hitter who retired with more walks than strikeouts. He holds MLB records for games played (3,562) and plate appearances (15,890), and his 44-game hitting streak in 1978 is the longest in National League history.

 

The New York Mets and Atlanta Braves secured the last two spots in the MLB playoffs when they split a doubleheader against one another on Monday, the final day of the regular season.

New York got a ninth-inning home run from Francisco Lindor in the dramatic opener to rally for an 8-7 victory, and Atlanta took care of business in a must-win Game 2 with a 3-0 win.

Monday’s results eliminated the idle Arizona Diamondbacks, the reigning National League champions, from play-off contention. If either New York (89-73) or Atlanta (89-73) had swept the doubleheader, Arizona (89-73) would have been the final NL wild-card team.

The Braves and Mets will begin their wild-card series on Tuesday night, with New York headed to Milwaukee to face the Brewers, and Atlanta travelling to San Diego to play the Padres.

Game 1

The opener to Monday’s doubleheader was a memorable back-and-forth affair, especially late.

Atlanta’s Ozzie Albies opened the scoring with a two-run homer off Tylor Megill in the second inning, and Ramon Laureano added a solo shot in the sixth.  

The Mets trailed 3-0 through seven innings but claimed the lead with a six-run eighth that included RBIs by Francisco Lindor, Jose Iglesias, Mark Vientos, Francisco Alvarez and a two-run homer by Brandon Nimmo.

The Braves reclaimed the lead by scoring four in the bottom of the eighth, powered by Albies’ three-run double off the left field wall that sent the Atlanta crowd into a frenzy. Albies delivered the blow against Edwin Diaz, whose earlier defensive lapse came back to bite him.

The Mets’ Sterling Marte singled in the top of the ninth, representing the tying run, then Lindor hit the first pitch he saw from Pierce Johnson over the fence in right-centre to take the lead yet again.

Diaz returned to the mound for the ninth despite struggling with command issues. He let the tying run reach second base before closing the door on a 40-pitch outing.

Game 2

Atlanta had scheduled Chris Sale to start a do-or-die Game 2, but the lefty was scratched due to back spasms, sending Grant Holmes to the mound.

The rookie right-hander responded with four shutout innings to start the nightcap, allowing one hit and one walk with seven strikeouts.

Gio Urshela's single in the second plated Jorge Soler and gave the Braves a 1-0 lead.

Atlanta clung to that narrow lead until Marcell Ozuna’s two-run single in the seventh.

Six Braves pitchers combined for the three-hit shutout, even after Atlanta used many of their top bullpen options in the matinée.

Atlanta will play in the post-season for the seventh straight year and will be looking to rebound from Divisional-round exits at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies in each of the last two play-offs.

The Mets atoned for last year’s 75-win season and hope to win their first post-season series since 2015.

 

The Arizona Diamondbacks needed a win in Sunday's season finale to stay in the mix for a play-off berth.

They got the needed victory, but now must wait to see if it's enough.

The Diamondbacks ended a two-game skid with an 11-2 rout over a San Diego Padres team they hope to join in the post-season.

Arizona won't know its fate until the completion of Monday's make-up double-header between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. The games were originally scheduled for last Wednesday and Thursday in Atlanta but were postponed due to Hurricane Helene ripping through the southeastern United States.

The Diamondbacks (89-73) will qualify for the play-offs if either the Mets or Braves sweep the double-header. If the two teams split the two games, however, both the Mets and Braves will secure the NL's last two wild-card berths.

 

San Diego (93-69) had already captured the NL's top wild-card spot.

The Diamondbacks, who entered the finale having lost five of six, knocked around the Padres in the fourth inning with six runs.

Christian Walker started the outburst with a double - the first of five consecutive hits for Arizona.

Eugenio Suárez singled to drive in Walker for his 100th RBI of the season, and Ketel Marte capped the fourth-inning scoring with a two-run homer.

San Diego's Luis Arraez notched his 200th hit with a sixth-inning double, which gave him the NL's batting title with a .314 average.

This is the third straight batting crown for Arráez - and incredibly, all three have come with different teams.

He won his first with the Minnesota Twins in 2022, then led the NL in batting last season with the Miami Marlins.

 

Braves lose to Royals to squander shot at play-off berth

The Braves could've punched a post-season ticket with a win over the play-off-bound Kansas City Royals in their series finale, but suffered a 4-2 defeat.

The Royals (86-76) jumped on Atlanta starter Charlie Morton early, tallying three runs before he was able to record an out.

Tommy Pham led off the game with a double, Bobby Witt Jr. followed with a single and Michael Massey plated both of them with a home run.

Witt wound up winning the AL batting title with a .332 average, becoming the first Kansas City batting champ since Hall of Famer George Brett in 1990.

Braves lead-off hitter Michael Harris II had three singles, but Atlanta (88-72) wasted several scoring chances, going just 1 for 9 with runners on and leaving nine men on base.

The Royals' season will continue Tuesday when they visit the Baltimore Orioles in a wild card series.

 

 

Ohtani falls short of Triple Crown

Having already locked up the NL's top seed, the Los Angeles Dodgers didn't have much to play for in their season finale other than Shohei Ohtani trying to become the league's first Triple Crown winner in nearly 90 years.

Ohtani, however, came up short of the feat in the NL West-champion Dodgers' 2-1 win over the Colorado Rockies.

The Japanese superstar went 1 for 4 to finish the season with a .310 batting average to end up behind Arraez.

Ohtani led the NL this season in homers (54) and RBIs (130), but fell just short of becoming the league's first Triple Crown winner since the St. Louis Cardinals' Joe Medwick in 1937.

He did steal another base, however, his 59th of the season during Los Angeles' eighth-inning rally.

 

Chris Taylor's homer in the eighth evened the score at 1-1, and four batters later, Austin Barnes scored the winning run, coming home on a balk by Rockies reliever Seth Halvorsen.

The Dodgers (98-64) are now off until Saturday, when they open an NL Division Series.

The finale marked the last MLB game for four-time All-Star Charlie Blackmon, who announced earlier this week he was retiring after 14 seasons with the Rockies (61-101).

Travis d’Arnaud hit a walk-off homer in the ninth inning and the Atlanta Braves kept up their postseason push with a 2-1 win over the playoff-bound Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

Reynaldo López came off the injured list to throw six strong innings for the Braves, who moved one game ahead of the New York Mets and Arizona for the final two wild-card spots in the National League.

After an injury-plagued season, the Braves can clinch their seventh straight playoff appearance on Sunday with a sweep of the Royals paired with another loss by the Diamondbacks.

D'Arnaud ended it with one swing in the ninth, launching a 2-0 pitch from Sam Long over the center-field wall for his 15th homer this season.

López pitched for the first time since Sept. 10, when he lasted only one inning at Washington before coming out with shoulder discomfort. An MRI showed no structural damage, but the Braves placed him on the 15-day disabled list in the heat of playoff race to make sure things didn't get worse.

López looked as good as ever in his return, allowing only two singles while striking out nine. After fanning Adam Frazier with the last of his 73 pitches, he pounded his glove in satisfaction walking off the mound, having lowered his ERA in a dazzling season to an even 2.00.

Sixteen-game winner Seth Lugo pitched two scoreless innings for Kansas City, limited to 36 pitches in what was essentially a tune-up for the Wild Card Series that begins Tuesday.

 

Mets shut down by Brewers

Joey Ortiz drove in three runs for Milwaukee and the New York Mets mustered just two hits as their playoff hopes sustained another blow with a 6-0 loss to the Brewers.

New York (87-72) lost its third straight and fell one game behind Atlanta (88-71) in the NL wild card race when the Braves beat Kansas City 2-1 on a ninth-inning, walk-off homer from former Met Travis d'Arnaud.

The Mets did get some help when San Diego beat Arizona 5-0. The Braves, Mets and Diamondbacks (88-73) are competing for the NL's final two wild-card playoff berths.

Both the Mets and Braves have head-to-head tiebreaker advantages over the Diamondbacks. The Mets and Braves would play a Monday doubleheader in Atlanta if their postseason fates haven’t been settled.

Ortiz put the Brewers ahead 2-0 in the fourth by looping a full-count curveball from Jose Quintana into left-center with a bases-loaded single.

Milwaukee broke open the game in the eighth inning by scoring four runs off Reed Garrett, the first runs he allowed since Aug. 18. The outburst included an RBI single by Willy Adames, a bases-loaded walk by Ortiz and a two-run single by Andruw Monasterio.

Quintana and four relievers combined to strike out 18 - the Mets' highest total this season. But New York was shut out for the first time since Aug. 23 and was held to two hits or fewer for just the fifth time this year.

Jose Iglesias singled in the first inning and Starling Marte hit a ground-rule double in the fifth. The only other time the Mets put a runner on base was when Iglesias drew a one-out walk in the ninth.

 

Struggling Diamondbacks blanked by Padres

Kyle Higashioka, Brandon Lockridge and Donovan Solano homered in the ninth inning, lifting the San Diego Padres to a 5-0 win over the sliding Arizona Diamondbacks, who continued to lose ground in the National League playoff race.

The Diamondbacks (88-73) have lost five of six as they chase an NL wild card. They’re currently behind the Braves (88-71) and tied with the Mets (87-72), who hold the final two playoff spots.

The game was scoreless heading into the ninth. With one out, David Peralta singled up the middle and then Higashioka cranked a no-doubt, two-run homer deep into the left field stands.

Lockridge followed with his first big league homer, which was also hit to left.

It was a stunning blowup for Diamondbacks left-hander A.J. Puk, who has been the team's most dominant reliever since he was acquired from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline. He had given up just one run over 27 innings over his 29 outings since coming to Arizona.

Solano added a two-run homer, his fourth hit of the night, later in the ninth off Scott McGough for a 5-0 advantage.

The red-hot Detroit Tigers earned an AL wild card berth on Friday night, ending a decade-long postseason drought with a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

The Tigers have been on a tear, winning six straight and 10 of 11 to surge into the playoffs and eliminate the defending AL Central champion Minnesota Twins from the race.

Since Aug. 11, when Detroit was eight games under .500 and counted out of contention, it has been the hottest team in the majors with 31 wins in 42 games with the lowest ERA in baseball and the largest run differential.

The Tigers will play AL Central champion Houston or Baltimore next week in a best-of-three Wild Card Series, most likely on the road.

The White Sox, meanwhile, set a modern major league record with their 121st loss. They broke the post-1900 record of 120 losses set by the New York Mets in 1962 during their first season. The overall record was set in 1899 by the Cleveland Spiders with a 20-134 record.

Taking advantage of playing a historically bad team, Detroit broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning. Jake Rogers scored when Jared Shuster was charged with a wild pitch even though the ball didn’t hit the dirt just below catcher Korey Lee’s glove.

Riley Greene put Detroit ahead 3-1 with a double in the seventh, and Chicago helped the home team’s cause again later in the inning when Fraser Ellard threw the team’s third wild pitch of the night.

 

Royals clinch playoff berth despite loss

Max Fried pitched three-hit ball over 8 2/3 innings to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 3-0 victory over Kansas City, but the Royals still got a chance to celebrate their first postseason berth since 2015.

Sean Murphy hit a two-run homer and Marcell Ozuna trotted home on a throwing error after his first stolen base since 2022 for the Braves, who won their fourth straight and sixth in seven games.

Atlanta moved into a tie with the Mets in the NL wild-card race when New York lost 8-4 at Milwaukee.

Despite the loss, the Royals, who matched a franchise record with 106 losses last season, clinched a wild card when Baltimore beat Minnesota 7-2. This is their first playoff appearance since winning the 2015 World Series.

Fried came within one out of a shutout, giving way to Raisel Iglesias when the Royals put runners at second and third. Iglesias retired Salvador Perez on a flyout for his 33rd save.

Fried threw 98 pitches, 63 for strikes. He walked two and struck out nine.

 

Padres beat Diamondbacks to secure top wild card

Luis Arraez hit two doubles and a triple, Yu Darvish pitched 5 1/3 gritty innings and the San Diego Padres used a four-run first inning to beat the sliding Arizona Diamondbacks 5-3.

The Padres secured the No. 4 spot in the National League bracket, meaning they'll host a best-of-three Wild Card Series next week in San Diego.

As for the Diamondbacks (88-72), they sit just behind the Mets (87-71) and Braves (87-71) in a tight race for the final two NL wild cards. The D-backs - who have lost four of five - have a slightly lower winning percentage.

Atlanta and New York have played two fewer games because Hurricane Helene washed out two games of their crucial series earlier this week. The teams would play a doubleheader Monday in Atlanta if playoff positioning is still undecided.

The Mets and Braves hold tiebreakers over the Diamondbacks should they finish with the same record. Arizona lost the season series to both teams.

The Padres never trailed, jumping to a 4-0 lead in the first inning after Merrill Kelly gave up four hits, one walk and a hit by pitch.

 

The New York Yankees won the AL East title for a first-round bye in the playoffs, rolling to a 10-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night behind Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole.

Judge hit his major league-leading 58th homer, going deep for the fifth straight game and increasing his RBIs total to 144, the most in the big leagues since Ryan Howard's 146 in 2008. Stanton hit his 27th homer and had four RBIs, and Cole pitched 6 2/3 innings of two-hit ball.

Judge and Stanton homered in the same game for the 14th time this year, tying Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961 for the most in Yankees history.

When Cedric Mullins hit a game-ending groundout to shortstop Anthony Volpe, the Yankees came out of the dugout and formed a brief jumping huddle between the mound and second base.

New York improved to 93-66 and will open its 59th postseason at home Oct. 5 in a best-of-five Division Series against a winner of next week's wild-card round. The Yankees will have five days off following Sunday's regular-season finale.

Orioles ace Corbin Burnes allowed two hits in five innings with one walk and nine strikeouts. He came out after 69 pitches and is likely to start Baltimore’s postseason opener on Tuesday. Burnes had a 1.20 ERA in five September starts.

The Orioles, who failed to sweep the three-game series, hold a three-game lead in the race for the top wild card.

Trying to hold off AL Central champion Cleveland for home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs, the Yankees have a one-game lead and hold the tiebreaker over the Guardians.

 

Dodgers rally past Padres to secure NL West

Will Smith hit a tying, two-run homer and the Los Angeles Dodgers scored three more runs in the seventh to beat the San Diego Padres 7-2 and clinch the NL West title.

The rally was dampened by an apparent injury to All-Star slugger Freddie Freeman, who left the game after awkwardly colliding with Luis Arráez and the first base bag trying to avoid being tagged for the second out of the inning. Freeman grabbed at his lower right leg before hobbling off the field.

The Dodgers (95-64) had not clinched at home since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when cardboard cutouts replaced fans. The last time fans were on hand for a clincher at home was 2018.

A sellout crowd of 52,433 packed Dodger Stadium for the finale of the crucial series between the top two teams in the NL West. Both teams had already clinched postseason berths.

The Padres led 2-0 as Joe Musgrove pitched six shutout innings.

But the Dodgers got to him in the seventh. Musgrove gave up a leadoff walk to Max Muncy. Smith followed with a 426-foot blast to center, tying the game at 2-2. It was the Dodgers’ first home run of the three-game series.

Pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández singled and took second when Andy Pages reached on catcher’s interference by Kyle Higashioka. Shohei Ohtani singled and Hernández scored on an error, while Ohtani was safe at second on Fernando Tatis Jr.'s throwing error.

Pages and Ohtani scored on Mookie Betts’ single, making it 5-2, and Pages added a two-run, two-strike, two-out homer in the eighth.

 

Athletics win final game in Oakland

JJ Bleday hit an RBI single and made a highlight-reel catch in center field, Shea Langeliers had a sacrifice fly, and the Oakland Athletics went out winning in their final scheduled game at the Coliseum by beating the Texas Rangers 3-2 on Thursday.

¶Bleday and Zack Gelof delivered defensive gems to delight a sellout crowd of 46,889 under a cloudless blue September sky. Fans alternated chants of “Sell the team!” and “Let's go Oakland!” amid the mixed emotions and nostalgia at the Coliseum, where the A's have played since 1968 and enjoyed so many memorable moments.

The ninth inning featured two fans jumping the fences to run onto the grass, bottles being thrown into center field and smoke bombs set off and tossed into right. Toilet paper and other debris also came down before manager Mark Kotsay took the microphone after the game with a heartfelt thank you to the fans and one last round of “Let's go Oakland!"

The A’s plan to play the next three years in Sacramento with hopes of opening a new ballpark in Las Vegas ahead of the 2028 season.

Green “SELL” banners hung from the outfield railings as fans were treated to a trip down memory lane. Former left-hander Barry Zito sang the national anthem to huge applause, while Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart tossed out ceremonial first pitches.

The current A's entertained, too.

Bleday made a diving catch on his right side to rob Carson Kelly of a hit on his line drive in the seventh. And the hometown fans got one more chance to see flame-throwing closer Mason Miller on the mound.

A’s starter J.T. Ginn left to a loud standing ovation after allowing two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings, and the pitcher then applauded right back by clapping his glove.

Oakland's bullpen followed him with 3 2/3 scoreless innings, with Miller recording the final four outs for his 28th save, which leads all major league rookies. He has converted his last 16 opportunities dating to June 18.

Shohei Ohtani singled in the go-ahead run before stealing his 56th base of the season in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Wednesday night to move within a victory of clinching the NL West.

The Dodgers increased their lead over the second-place Padres to three games with four to play and reduced their magic number to two. Los Angeles needs a win in Thursday's series finale to earn its 11th division title 12 years.

The Padres' five-game winning streak ended a night after they celebrated making the postseason with a game-ending triple play on their biggest rival's field.

Ohtani's two-strike, two-out single to center off Adrián Morejón scored Will Smith, who drew a leadoff walk, and made it 4-3. Ohtani stole second, but Mookie Betts followed with a popup to end the inning.

With two outs in the ninth, Michael Kopech walked Jake Cronenworth to put the tying run aboard, but Donovan Solano struck out.

Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a 448-foot homer – the longest by a Padres player this season – to tie the game at 3 in the fifth.

 

Tigers defeat Rays to stay red hot

Parker Meadows and Spencer Torkelson homered, and the surging Detroit Tigers strengthened their bid for an AL wild card with a 7-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Detroit moved 10 games over .500 with its fourth consecutive victory. It is tied with Kansas City (84-74) for second in the wild-card standings behind Baltimore.

The Tigers play the Rays on Thursday before finishing the season with three home games against the lowly Chicago White Sox.

Detroit is 29-11 since Aug. 10, thanks to ace Tarik Skubal, one of the favourites for the AL Cy Young Award, and a cast of young pitchers. On Wednesday, rookie Keider Montero pitched 2 2/3 innings of one-run ball before five relievers combined for 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

Jackson Jobe, Detroit's best pitching prospect, worked the ninth in his major league debut.

 

Orioles hold off Yankees as Judge homers again

Gunnar Henderson had three of Baltimore's 12 hits in the first four innings, and the Orioles again prevented the New York Yankees from clinching the AL East title by holding on for a 9-7 victory despite another home run from Aaron Judge.

Colton Cowser drove in three runs for the playoff-bound Orioles, who tagged substitute starter Marcus Stroman early and improved to 8-4 against New York with one matchup left in their season series.

Judge went deep for the fourth game in a row, connecting on his major league-leading 57th homer in a four-run ninth inning. The three-run shot off Matt Bowman upped Judge's total to 142 RBIs, also most in the majors, and shaved New York's deficit to 9-7.

Keegan Akin entered and retired the next two batters for his third career save and first this year.

Juan Soto also homered and knocked in three runs for New York, which could have wrapped up the AL East race with a victory over the Orioles either of the past two nights.

Baltimore moved within four games of the Yankees in the division with four remaining as it tries to lock down the top AL wild card. Cedric Mullins went 3 for 4 with a walk, three runs scored and two stolen bases.

Stroman was a late replacement for injured left-hander Nestor Cortes and gave up six straight singles to begin the game as the Orioles grabbed a 3-0 lead.

Three more teams secured play-off berths on Tuesday, with the Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros and San Diego Padres booking trips to the post-season.

The Orioles got home runs from Anthony Santander, Colton Cowser and Ramon Urias to beat the New York Yankees 5-3 and deny their division rivals the AL East crown for at least one more night.

The Yankees, who saw Aaron Judge hit his 56th homer of the season, lead the Orioles in the East by five games with five to play, although Baltimore would have the tiebreaker if they go 5-0 down the stretch and New York finishes 0-5.

The Orioles will play in consecutive post-seasons for the first time since 1996-97.

For the fourth consecutive year, the AL West crown was claimed by the Astros, who beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3. Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Jason Heyward each hit home runs for Houston, with Heyward’s two-run shot in the fifth putting the Astros ahead for good.

In the NL West, the Padres turned a triple play to close out their 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and ensure them at least a wild-card spot.

Jake Cronenworth hit a two-run homer in the second and added an RBI double in the fourth to pace the Padres, who trail the Dodgers by two games in the West.

 

Braves take crucial series opener from Mets

Michael Harris had a home run and an RBI double, Spencer Schwellenbach was strong through seven innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 5-1 as both teams continued their fight for play-off position.

Harris finished 3 for 4 with seven total bases, and Marcell Ozuna hit his 39th homer of the season, a solo shot in the fifth off Ryne Stanek.

Schwellenbach carried a shutout into the seventh, when he surrendered a solo shot to Mark Vientos. Schwellenbach allowed three hits and one walk over seven innings.

The win, Atlanta’s third in a row, moved the Braves (86-71) half a game back of the Arizona Diamondbacks (87-71) for the NL’s final wild-card spot. Arizona was routed 11-0 by the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.

With the loss, the Mets (87-70) were left clinging to a wild-card position by the narrowest of margins. They face the Braves two more times before heading to Milwaukee for a three-game set against the NL Central champion Brewers.

 

Guardians secure first-round bye

Kyle Manzardo and Lane Thomas hit home runs to back a strong outing from Tanner Bibee, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-1.

With the win, the AL Central champion Guardians clinched a top-two finish in the American League and a first-round play-off bye.

Manzardo and Thomas both went deep in the first inning off Carson Spiers for the early lead, and Josh Naylor drove in a pair of insurance runs as Cleveland improved to 91-67.

Bibee, who had been 1-4 in his previous five decisions, cruised to his 12th win, allowing four hits and one run in seven innings with seven strikeouts.

The Guardians trail the Yankees by 1 ½ games for the best record in the AL.

Home runs from J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber backed six solid innings from Aaron Nola as the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their first National League East title since 2011 with Monday's 6-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.

The Phillies also received a run-scoring single from Nick Castellanos to enhance their chances of earning one of the NL's top two seeds and a first-round bye for the upcoming playoffs. Philadelphia (93-64) now trails the Los Angeles Dodgers by a half-game for the majors' best record with less than a week remaining in the regular season.

Nola (13-8) scattered seven hits and struck out seven while allowing just two runs. The steady veteran pitcher held the Cubs scoreless through the first six innings of play as the Phillies gradually built a 6-0 lead.

Realmuto opened the scoring with his 14th homer of the season, a two-run shot off Caleb Kilian in the second inning. Schwarber made it 3-0 an inning later with a lead-off homer that gave him 100 runs batted in for a second straight season.

The Phillies added another run off Kilian in the third when Trea Turner followed Schwarber's blast with a double and later scored on Castellanos' single.

Bryce Harper led off the bottom of the fifth with a double and eventually crossed the plate on an error by Chicago second baseman Nico Hoerner to increase the margin to 5-0. The Phillies scored again in the sixth when Brandon Marsh drew a walk, advanced to third on Johan Rojas' single and came home on a double-play grounder off the bat of Schwarber.

Nola was removed after surrendering back-to-back doubles by Isaac Paredes and Hoerner that got the Cubs on the board. Hoerner later scored on a groundout for the game's final run.

Kilian (0-1) allowed all six Philadelphia runs - five earned - and eight hits across 5 2/3 innings. 

Mariners put Astros' AL West title plans on hold

The Seattle Mariners got seven scoreless innings from Bryce Miller and two runs batted in from Julio Rodriguez to prevent the Houston Astros from clinching the American League West with Monday's 6-1 win.

Rodriguez went 3 for 5 to lead a 13-hit attack that closed Seattle within 1 1/2 games of the co-holders of the AL's final two wild-card spots, the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers.

The Mariners still have a faint chance of winning the AL West, though Houston needs to win just one of this series' two remaining games to claim its fourth straight division title.

Miller (12-8) continued a strong finish to his season by yielding just two hits and a pair of walks. The right-hander is now 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA over his last four starts.

Hunter Brown (11-9) allowed just one run while striking out eight over six innings for Houston, but issued two walks in the third inning that led to Seattle taking a 1-0 lead on Cal Raleigh's single that plated Victor Robles.

The Mariners added on in the seventh after loading the bases on singles by Justin Turner and J.P. Crawford and a walk to Dylan Moore. Two batters later, Rodriguez singled to center to drive in Turner for a 2-0 advantage.

Seattle loaded the bases again in the eighth on three consecutive singles before Turner brought in Raleigh with a sacrifice fly. Jorge Polanco followed with a run-scoring double to stretch the margin to 4-0.

Jason Heyward finally got Houston on the board with a solo home run in the eighth, but the Mariners scored twice more in the ninth to put the game out of reach. 

Back-to-back doubles by Robles and Rodriguez increased the lead to 5-1 before Rodriguez scored on Randy Arozarena's double.

Giants drop Diamondbacks back in NL wild card standings

The San Francisco Giants hit three home runs, including an inside-the-park shot from Matt Chapman, to come through with a 6-3 win over Arizona that knocked the Diamondbacks out of a tie for the NL's second wild card.

Casey Schmitt and Michael Conforto also homered to help the Giants to a fourth straight win. Chapman finished 2 for 3 and drove in three runs, while San Francisco starter Hayden Birdsong (5-5) struck out six while holding the Diamondbacks to two runs in five innings.

Arizona fell a half-game behind the New York Mets in the standings and now holds a 1 1/2-game lead on the Atlanta Braves for the final NL wild card. The Braves and Mets begin a pivotal three-game series in Atlanta on Tuesday.

The Diamondbacks had an early 1-0 lead after consecutive doubles by Geraldo Perdomo and Joc Pederson in the first inning, but the Giants went ahead with three runs in the third off Eduardo Rodriguez.

After Heliot Ramos singled and scored on Jerar Encarnacion's double, Chapman drove a pitch off the center field wall and sprinted around the bases for the first inside-the-park homer by a Giants' player since Denard Span in 2017.

Christian Walker drove in Corbin Carroll with a double in the bottom of the third to pull Arizona within 3-2, but Schmitt's solo homer in the fourth restored the Giants' two-run advantage.

Conforto went deep an inning later to increase the lead to 5-2, then doubled in the seventh before crossing the plate on a Chapman triple.

Arizona got a run back in its half of the seventh when Jose Herrera doubled and scored on Perdomo's single. The Diamondbacks failed to score thereafter, though, with Ryan Walker throwing a perfect ninth for San Francisco to record his 10th save.

Rodriguez (3-4) struck out eight in 4 2/3 innings but was tagged for five runs on seven hits. 

 

 

 

Page 1 of 94
© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.