Sep 19, 2019; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
September 20, 2019
Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven effective innings, and four Yankees hit home runs as New York clinched the American League East title with a 9-1 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.
The Yankees (100-54) won their first division title since 2012, reaching 100 victories in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2002-04. Aaron Boone became the first manager in major league history to win 100 games in each of his first two seasons.
This year, the Yankees took first place for good on June 15 and led by at least 7 1/2 games ever since July 18. They ended their third-longest drought (six seasons) between divisional titles since the divisional era began in 1969.
New York’s DJ LeMahieu hit a three-run homer in the second inning to open the scoring, and Brett Gardner, Cameron Maybin and Clint Frazier later added home runs.
Cardinals 5, Cubs 4 (10 innings)
Matt Carpenter hit a go-ahead homer in the top of the 10th inning, and St. Louis held on for a win at Chicago to open a crucial four-game series.
Harrison Bader drove in a pair of runs for the Cardinals, who coughed up a 4-1 lead in the ninth inning before recovering for the victory. It marked St. Louis’ first win in seven contests at Wrigley Field this season.
The Cardinals maintained a three-game lead in the National League Central over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs slipped four games back of St. Louis for first place and one game behind the Brewers for the NL’s second wild card.
Braves 5, Phillies 4
Ronald Acuna Jr. hit his 40th home run, and Freddie Freeman delivered a key two-run single that helped Atlanta beat visiting Philadelphia.
The Braves lowered their magic number to win the NL East to one. They could clinch Friday with a win vs. San Francisco or a Washington Nationals loss at Miami.
Acuna hit a two-run shot in the third inning, and Freeman drove home a pair in the fifth with his first hit of the three-game series. The win broke a three-game losing streak for Atlanta.
Indians 7, Tigers 0
Mike Clevinger pitched six strong innings, Franmil Reyes hit a two-run homer and host Cleveland won its 17th straight game over Detroit.
Clevinger (12-3) scattered seven hits and struck out six while walking only one. Yasiel Puig had two hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Puig supplied nine hits in a three-game series sweep.
Francisco Lindor contributed three hits and scored two runs as Roberto Perez added two hits and two RBIs as Cleveland moved into a tie with Tampa Bay for the final American League wild-card spot.
Brewers 5, Padres 1
Lorenzo Cain, Ryan Braun and Trent Grisham drove in runs to help Milwaukee earn a win against visiting San Diego.
The Brewers won three of four in the series to pull within a game of the idle Washington Nationals for the top National League wild-card spot.
Cain hit a solo home run, and Braun had two hits, including an RBI double. Brewers right-hander Jordan Lyles delivered four strong innings before he was lifted with two outs in the fifth, and Freddy Peralta (7-3) followed with 1 1/3 innings of no-hit relief to earn the victory for Milwaukee, which has won 12 of 14.
Twins 8, Royals 5
Nelson Cruz hit two home runs and drove in five runs and Miguel Sano and Mitch Garver also homered to lead Minnesota past Kansas City in Minneapolis.
Cruz hit a three-run homer in the third inning and a two-run blast in the seventh to give him 39 homers and 102 RBIs for the season and 399 home runs for his career, tying Andres Galarraga and Al Kaline for 57th place in major league history.
Garver finished with two hits and two walks scored three runs, Sano also doubled and walked and had two RBIs, and Eddie Rosario also had two hits and scored a run for Minnesota.
Blue Jays 8, Orioles 4
Cavan Biggio homered and later added a two-run single that highlighted a six-run seventh inning as Toronto completed a three-game sweep of host Baltimore.
Biggio went 2-for-5 with three RBIs as the Blue Jays pulled off a third straight late-inning rally. The second baseman finished the series 8-for-16 with two homers and eight RBIs. He hit for the cycle on Tuesday.
He blasted a solo homer in the fourth inning Thursday, then singled with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. doubled home two more runs later in the inning to build the lead to 8-2 lead.
Red Sox 5, Giants 4
Andrew Benintendi and Christian Vazquez each had two hits and two runs, and Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers accounted for all five Boston RBIs as the host Red Sox salvaged one win in the three-game interleague series.
Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (18-6) became Boston’s first 18-game winner since Rick Porcello won 22 in 2016. He held the Giants to one unearned run while walking two and striking out 10.
Giants ace Madison Bumgarner (9-9) took the loss. His team’s rally in the ninth inning fell short when Red Sox closer Brandon Workman struck out Evan Longoria struck out with the bases loaded.
Mariners 6, Pirates 5 (11 innings)
Austin Nola grounded into an 11th-inning double play that produced a run as Seattle swept a three-game series from host Pittsburgh.
With a 5-5 tie going against reliever Clay Holmes (1-2), Shed Long led off the 11th by reaching on first baseman Jose Osuna’s fielding error. After Kyle Lewis struck out, Omar Narvaez singled to left, moving Long to third. Nola grounded into a double play, with the second out coming in a rundown between first and second, while Long scored.
Nola earlier had an RBI single and Long added a two-run single for Seattle, which has won five straight. Jake Elmore drove in two runs with a double and single, and starting pitcher Joe Musgrove and Elias Diaz each hit RBI doubles for the Pirates, who have lost six in a row.
–Field Level Media
