The Chicago White Sox clinched their sixth division title with victory over nearest American League Central challengers the Cleveland Indians on Thursday.
In the first game of a double-header at Progressive Field, the White Sox prevailed 7-2 to become the first team in MLB to clinch a division this season.
It is the fourth time they have won the AL Central – but first since 2008 – to go with two prior AL West triumphs.
In-form shortstop Tim Anderson was hugely influential in the decisive win, with three hits, two runs and four RBIs. It was his seventh straight game with a hit since returning from a hamstring injury.
But manager Tony La Russa was the centre of attention, having only returned to the major leagues with the White Sox this season after 10 years away.
Having served as White Sox manager between 1979 and 1986, earning their first division championship in 1983, La Russa went on to win the World Series with both the Oakland Athletics (in 1989) and the St Louis Cardinals (in 2006 and 2011).
The 76-year-old retired as a champion with the Cardinals but was brought back to Chicago to have an immediate impact, even if he credits the team.
"The whole thing for me is Fantasy Island," he said. "Coming back like this.
"We all know the truth. The first three jobs, the clubs were struggling when I took over. Managers don't walk into a situation like this, with a team so ready to win.
"So, I'm very, very fortunate."
The White Sox had a .383 win percentage as recently as 2018 but had improved rapidly prior to La Russa's arrival. The .136 increase between 2019 and 2020 was the ninth-largest year-to-year improvement in team history.
But La Russa's players have certainly noted his impact, as Anderson said: "He came in and allowed us to be ourselves.
"He always says players first. He allowed us to play the game the way we would want to and allowed us to have some fun."
MLB: Urquidy pitches Astros to crucial 2-1 win over Diamondbacks
Jose Abreu hit a two-run double that was nearly a three-run homer and Jose Urquidy delivered as an emergency starter to lift the Houston Astros to a 2-1 win over Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.
The game remained scoreless until the sixth when Alex Bregman hit a one-out infield single, and Kyle Tucker singled one out later.
Abreu drilled a pitch from Zac Gallen deep to center that was initially called a three-run home run before video replay showed the ball hitting the line on the wall, resulting in a 2-0 Houston lead.
The hero for the Astros turned out to be Urquidy, who was called on to start in place of scheduled starter J.P. France, scratched due to a family emergency.
Urquidy, who has been used out of the bullpen since his last start on Aug 23, limited Arizona to two hits over six innings with three walks and two strikeouts.
Phil Maton and Hector Neris each worked one scoreless inning and Ryan Pressly gave up Gabriel Moreno’s RBI double in the ninth before getting Jace Peterson on a game-ending groundout.
The Astros pulled within one game of AL West-leading Texas and remained one game ahead of Seattle in the race for the final wild card.
Arizona still holds the second NL wild card but had its lead over Miami cut to one-half game with Cincinnati and the Cubs both two games behind.
Gallen failed in a bid to become the majors’ second 18-game winner, allowing two runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings with one walk and seven strikeouts.
Crawford hits slam as Mariners keep playoff hopes alive
J.P. Crawford hit a grand slam and Ty France and Josh Rojas also homered as the Seattle Mariners stayed in the thick of the playoff race with an 8-0 rout of the Texas Rangers.
Seattle has won three or four following a four-game skid to remain one game behind Houston in the race for the final AL wild card.
The Mariners are still alive in the AL West, sitting two games behind Texas and one behind Houston with two games remaining.
The Rangers remained a victory away or Astros loss away from securing a playoff berth. There also remains the possibility of a three-way tie for the division title.
Bryan Woo pitched out of trouble to keep Texas scoreless through 3 2/3 innings and five relievers finished up with the final four keeping the Rangers hitless.
Blue Jays on brink of playoff spot
Alejandro Kirk homered and drove in three runs and Bo Bichette had four hits as the Toronto Blue Jays moved a step closer to the postseason with an 11-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Brandon Belt and Matt Chapman also went deep for the Blue Jays, who maintained a one-game lead over Houston.
Toronto can clinch a wild card with a win or a loss by Seattle over the next two days.
The Blue Jays took control with three runs in the third – two scoring on Kirk’s single – and extended to a 6-1 lead with three more runs in the fourth.
Belt led off with a home run and Bichette and Cavan Biggio singled and scored when center fielder Manuel Margot let the ball roll under his glove all the way to the wall.
Giants fire manager Kapler after missing playoffs again
The San Francisco Giants have fired manager Gabe Kapler after missing the playoffs for the third time in his four-year tenure, the organisation announced Friday.
The move is a full reversal from the public vote of confidence given last month by chairman Greg Johnson and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, making Kapler appear to be a lock in the dugout in 2024.
At the time, the Giants were in position for a wild card spot in the NL playoffs but have since been eliminated from post-season consideration and are in danger of finishing below .500 unless they sweep their final series of the season.
Zaidi appeared on local radio station KNBR Thursday, and his comments signalled a change of heart.
“I just think we have to look at everything," Zaidi said during the interview. “There's a time and place for everything. One hundred sixty-two games is a grind. We want our players to be comfortable being able to wash off those tough losses.
“But when you’re in do-or-die games, like we were in Arizona, you want them to feel different. I think we’re really going to have to ask ourselves if we were prepared to sort of elevate our level of focus in play for those games that really matter down the stretch.”
Entering play Friday, the Giants have lost 10 of their last 13 games, including a pair against division rival and fellow wild-card hopeful Arizona on Sept. 19-20. The combined score of those games was 15-5.
The Giants are 29-40 since the All-Star break.
Kapler, 48, was 456-411 as manager in San Francisco and helped the team win a franchise-record 107 games in 2021. The Giants’ reward for a historic season was facing the 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers in the Divisional round, and Kapler’s squad was eliminated in a Game 5 nail-biter.
“Gabe led our team through an unprecedented pandemic in 2020 and a franchise-record 107 wins and post-season berth in 2021,” Zaidi said in a statement Friday. “He has been dedicated and passionate in his efforts to improve the on-field performance of the San Francisco Giants and I have tremendous respect for him as a colleague and friend.”
Before arriving in San Francisco, Kapler managed the Philadelphia Phillies for two seasons with a 161-163 combined record and no play-off appearances.
MLB: Orioles beat Red Sox to clinch AL East title with 100th win
A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance.
Two days after the death of all-time great third baseman Brooks Robinson, the Baltimore Orioles have cause to smile.
The Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox 2-0 Thursday to set off a raucous celebration at Camden Yards as Baltimore clinched its first AL East title since 2014, guaranteed themselves home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs.
Baltimore, which lost 110 games in 2021, completed a stunning turnaround with its 100th win, accomplished for the first time since 1980.
Dean Kremer pitched 5 1/3 sterling innings and DL Hall, Yennier Cano, Cionel Perez and Tyler Wells pitched well out of the bullpen as the O’s held the Red Sox to just three hits – all singles.
Anthony Santander went deep off Chris Sale in the first inning, and Heston Kjerstad added some late insurance with a pinch-hit double in the eighth that plated Adam Frazier.
There was even more excitement at Camden Yards during the game when the team announced on the scoreboard that it had reached agreement with the state to keep the Orioles in Baltimore for at least the next 30 years.
The team’s lease at Camden Yards was set to expire at the end of 2023.
Crawford’s clutch hit gives Mariners vital win
J.P. Crawford singled home the tying and winning runs with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Seattle Mariners to a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers.
The Rangers entered the bottom of the ninth with a 2-1 run lead, but Aroldis Chapman gave up singles to Cal Raleigh and Dylan Moore.
Both runners moved up on a wild pitch and Ty France walked to load the bases before Chapman was replaced by Jonathan Hernandez. After Mike Ford popped out and Josh Rojas fouled out, Crawford lined a 1-1 pitch to the wall in left to give Seattle a much-needed win.
The Mariners pulled within one game of Houston for the final AL wild card.
Adolis Garcia and Leody Taveras homered for Texas, which could’ve clinched a playoff berth with a win.
Olson hits 54th homer as Braves win again
Matt Olson extended his major league lead with his 54th home run and the Atlanta Braves clinched home-field advantage throughout the postseason with a 5-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs.
Austin Riley had three hits and scored twice as Atlanta won for the sixth time in seven games and secured the best record in baseball.
Olson’s two-run blast gave him a team-record 136 RBIs, surpassing the 135 for Eddie Matthews in 1953.
The Cubs have lost three straight and 13 of 19 to fall one-half game behind Miami for the final NL wild card.
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