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• Angels move on from manager Nevin after losing season

  Phil Nevin will not return as manager of the Los Angeles Angels in 2024 after a second straight losing season.

  The Angels declined Nevin’s contract option for next season, announcing they would find a new clubhouse leader in a statement Monday.

  This winter, Los Angeles will hire their fourth manager in six seasons since Mike Scioscia’s 19-year tenure ended after the 2018 season.

  Nevin, who took over for Joe Maddon during last season, went 119-149 as the Halos’ manager and missed the playoffs in both seasons.

  The Angels flirted with a play-off spot and were five games over .500 at the end of July but went 17-38 down the stretch as stars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout missed time due to injury.

  ESPN reported Monday that general manager Perry Minasian will keep his job.

  Los Angeles defeated the Oakland Athletics 7-3 Sunday to end the season.

  “I know it didn't go the way we wanted, but I'm proud of the way that room held together,” Nevin said Sunday. “It wasn't fun. It's not fun ending the way we did, but it's a great group in there. There's a lot of great things that are on the horizon here with the young players and the guys coming back. Good future.”

  The Angels are at a crossroads as an organisation with Ohtani set to hit free agency this winter and after Trout has missed significant time in two of the last three seasons.

  Despite having two of baseball's most iconic stars, the Angels haven’t won a play-off game since 2009.

• MLB: Astros rout Diamondbacks to win AL West

  Cristian Javier threw six scoreless innings as the Houston Astros clinched a third consecutive American League East title with Sunday's 8-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

  The defending World Series champions also secured the AL's No. 2 seed and a first-round playoff bye with a win in Sunday's regular-season finale, coupled with the Texas Rangers' 1-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

  Both the Astros and Rangers finished the season at 90-72, with Houston winning the tiebreaker by virtue of taking the season series from Texas.

  The Diamondbacks will also be headed to the playoffs but will be the National League's No. 6 seed due to the loss. Arizona ended with an identical record as Miami, with the Marlins getting the NL's second wild card by also winning the season series between the teams. 

  Arizona, which is making its first postseason trip since 2017, will face Milwaukee in the opening round. The NL Central champion Brewers will host Game 1 of the series Tuesday.

  Houston started fast by scoring four times in the first inning, highlighted by Alex Bregman's two-run homer off Kyle Nelson. Bregman tripled and scored in the second for a 5-0 lead, and Jose Abreu later added a two-run homer in the seventh after Kyle Tucker tripled and scored in the fifth. 

  Bregman, Abreu and Tucker all finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored.

  Javier earned his 10th win of the season by holding the Diamondbacks to three hits and two walks. Arizona didn't score until Jake McCarthy singled in the eighth and scored on Lourdes Gurriel's double.

   

  Kirby dominant as Mariners deny Rangers AL West title

  The Seattle Mariners prevented the Texas Rangers from capturing the AL West with Sunday's 1-0 win behind six stellar innings from George Kirby.

  Kirby yielded just three hits while striking out seven to drop the Rangers to the AL's No. 5 seed and send them into an opening-round series against Tampa Bay. The Rays will host Game 1 on Tuesday.

  Seattle, which was eliminated from playoff consideration with Saturday's 6-1 loss to Texas, scored the game's only run in the fourth. After Eugenio Suarez and Jarred Kelenic singled and Ty France drew a walk from Rangers starter Dane Dunning to load the bases, Dominic Canzone plated Suarez with a groundout.

  Kirby made the lead stand before three relievers finished off the Mariners' MLB-leading 18th shutout. Isaiah Campbell worked the ninth to earn his first career save.

  Dunning, working on three days' rest, was charged with the lone run while pitching 3 1/3 innings. Martin Perez threw 3 2/3 hitless innings in relief.

   

  Braves tie MLB season record with Ozuna's two homers

  Marcell Ozuna went deep twice to give the Atlanta Braves a share of MLB's record for home runs in a season, though the Washington Nationals rallied with three runs in the ninth inning to hand the NL's No. 1 overall seed a 10-9 loss in the regular-season finale. 

  Washington trailed 8-7 entering the ninth before loading the bases off Michael Tonkin, who walked Drew Millas to force in the tying run before surrendering Jacob Young's go-ahead two-run single. 

  Ozuna got Atlanta back within one by blasting his 40th homer of the season in the bottom of the ninth, which put the Braves at 307 for the campaign to match the mark set by the 2019 Minnesota Twins.

  Young and Kelbert Ruiz each drove in three runs for the Nationals, who pounded out 15 hits on the afternoon. Lane Thomas went 4 for 6 with two runs scored and Ruiz finished with three hits. 

  Ozuna's first homer, a three-run shot in the third, tied the game at 5-5. Matt Olson and Michael Harris each knocked in two runs for the NL East champs. 

• New York Mets fire manager Showalter

  Buck Showalter will not return as the New York Mets' manager in 2024, an expected outcome after the team that began this season with the highest payroll in Major League Baseball history failed to reach the playoffs.

  Showalter told reporters of the team's decision prior to Sunday's season finale, a 9-1 home loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets released a statement following Showalter's announcement confirming their plans.

  “We are heading in a new direction, with a new President of Baseball Operations and we let Buck know we’ll be parting ways. We will begin the search for a new manager immediately,” Mets owner Steve Cohen said in the statement. 

  The move was widely expected after the Mets fell out of playoff contention before the All-Star break and finished with a 74-87 record, a steep decline from the 101 wins the team achieved in Showalter's first season in 2022.

  New York entered this season among the National League favourites after Cohen increased the payroll to a record $355 million as the Mets brought in three-time American League Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and star Japanese picher Kodai Senga, as well as re-signing center fielder Brandon Nimmo and closer Edwin Diaz to big contracts.

  The Mets hovered around .500 for the first two months, however, before losing 19 of 26 games in June to drop further in the standings. That led to management's decision to become sellers at the Aug. 1 trade deadline and jettison off several prominent players, most notably Verlander and fellow ace Max Scherzer.

  Showalter's fate was further sealed when the Mets hired former Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns as vice president of baseball operations in September.

  “I was honored to get a chance to manage a second New York team," said Showalter, whose 22-year tenure as a major league manager began with the crosstown rival Yankees in 1992. "I’m proud of what the Mets did. We won close to 180 games in two years. Especially last year, as much fun as I’ve ever had in the game. It reminded me why I’ve always loved this kind of work."

  Cohen also praised Showalter's work in the statement announcing the change.

  “Buck is a generational manager, and we value what he has done for our team, including leading us to a 101 win season and postseason berth last year." he said.  "The commitment and heart that Buck brings to the game will be felt by our organization for years to come. We wish Buck all the best in the next chapter of his career.”

  The Mets were the fifth team the 67-year-old Showalter managed during his lengthy career, which also included stops with the Yankees (1992-95), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Texas Rangers (2003-06) and Baltimore Orioles (2010-18).

  Four of those teams reached the playoffs, though Showalter never guided one to a World Series despite making six total trips to the postseason and winning four Manager of the Year awards. 

  Showalter's overall managerial record stands at 1,726-1,665, ranking him 19th in MLB history in wins.