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Chicago White Sox clinch playoff berth with 9-1 win, marking a rare feat in a remarkable turnaround season

Sports / Baseball /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — No team had ever made the postseason after losing 100-plus games in each of the previous two seasons, let alone three.

Until the 2026 Chicago White Sox, that is.

The Sox completed a feat few saw coming, qualifying for the playoffs Thursday with a 9-1 victory against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

It’s an ...Read more

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Paul Skenes ends his season with his 200th strikeout, helping the Pirates to win No. 81

Sports / Baseball /

PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes could’ve ended his season in the sixth inning with a groundout. He left to warm applause.

Then, it seemed, came a realization. Yohan Ramirez was ready, but Skenes was one strikeout away from 200 for the season.

So Skenes came back for the seventh. He fell behind St. Louis designated hitter Leo Bernal, then threw ...Read more

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Pete Crow-Armstrong becomes the 1st Chicago Cub with a 40-40 season -- and only the 7th player in MLB history

Sports / Baseball /

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s combination of incredible speed and power has put him among the upper echelon of elite multitool players in Major League Baseball history.

With his steal of second base in the first inning Thursday after a leadoff walk against Miami Marlins right-hander Tyler Phillips, Crow-Armstrong became ...Read more

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Mariners keep faint playoff hopes alive with walkoff win

Sports / Baseball /

One strike away from officially being eliminated from the American League West race, the Mariners wouldn’t give into their expected fate.

Trailing by a run with two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Julio Rodríguez worked a bases-loaded walk against Astros closer Josh Hader, who was in his second inning of work, and Josh Naylor gave the ...Read more

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Walbert Ureña struggles, Mike Trout homers as Angels fall to A's for 98th loss

Sports / Baseball /

WEST SACRAMENTO — Mike Trout found a way to make history again on Wednesday night with a home run in the top of the fourth inning, but it wasn’t nearly enough as the Angels fell to the Athletics, 7-3, for their 98th loss of the season.

With his blast at Sutter Health Park, Trout has now hit a home run in 31 different MLB stadiums. With his ...Read more

Padres beat Dodgers to move one win away from postseason

Sports / Baseball /

LOS ANGELES — Win and they’re in.

It is that definitive for the Padres after they beat the Dodgers 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Still, there is so much yet to come into focus in the National League playoff picture.

The Padres took sole possession of the National League’s No. 4 playoff seed, which would get them a series at Petco Park in the ...Read more

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Nolan McLean bolsters NL Rookie of the Year case with sharp outing vs. Rangers

Sports / Baseball /

ARLINGTON, Texas — Nolan McLean put the last lines on his NL Rookie of the Year resume Wednesday night, giving the Mets as dominant a start as they could have asked for.

The rookie right-hander capped a stellar season with a seven-inning performance against the Texas Rangers. The Mets were unable to give him much run support, but his overall ...Read more

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Aaron Judge restates 'plan' to play in wild-card series after Aaron Boone says Yankees 'not expecting' that

Sports / Baseball /

NEW YORK — Aaron Judge keeps saying he wants to return in time for the postseason.

On Wednesday, the Yankees’ captain told ESPN’s Jorge Castillo that he intends to be ready for Game 1 of the wild-card series. That will take place on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

“That’s what the plan is,” Judge told ESPN. “Try to get my body ready ...Read more

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Phillies' chances of clinching a wild card put on hold with 4-1 loss to Brewers

Sports / Baseball /

PHILADELPHIA — The cans of beer and bottles of champagne will remain unopened for now, and the protective plastic lining the ceiling of the Phillies clubhouse will have to stay rolled up at least another day.

Because following their 4-1 loss to the Brewers, the Phillies were unable to clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday, regardless of what ...Read more

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JJ Wetherholt paces Cardinals with 3 hits to back Matthew Liberatore's win against Pirates

Sports / Baseball /

PITTSBURGH — Rookie JJ Wetherholt had three hits and primed the Cardinals' offense Wednesday while playing close to home, and lefty Matthew Liberatore had the kind of start to build on wherever this offseason takes him next.

In his final start of the season, Liberatore held Pittsburgh to one run on six hits through 5 2/3 innings. He leaned ...Read more

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Sonny Gray's scoreless start powers Red Sox to 1-0 win over Guardians

Sports / Baseball /

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox pulled off a 1-0 series-evening win over the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night, despite the ongoing dearth of situational hitting that has plagued them for the last two weeks.

Boston batters tallied 12 hits, but went 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position, and left 11 men on base in eight innings. ...Read more

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Rays' encore to AL East division clincher is a rough loss to Yankees

Sports / Baseball /

NEW YORK — Wanting to give their starters an extra day of rest after clinching the American League East title on Tuesday, the Rays summoned right-hander Mason Englert to start Wednesday’s game and cover as many innings as he could.

That didn’t work out too well, however, as Englert couldn’t get through the fourth inning, allowing four ...Read more

Maikel Garcia helps Royals thwart White Sox's chance to clinch a playoff spot

Sports / Baseball /

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals continued their role as spoiler Wednesday night against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.

Chicago entered with a chance to clinch a postseason berth. The club needed a win and a Texas Rangers loss to punch its ticket.

However, the Royals had other ideas in a 5-4 victory.

Kansas City raced ...Read more

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Orioles top Blue Jays, 4-2, to sweep doubleheader, remain in playoff race

Sports / Baseball /

BALTIMORE — A miracle run to a postseason spot for the Baltimore Orioles, five games back with five to play entering Wednesday, required them to win all of their remaining contests plus additional help. After a doubleheader sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays, they’re on the right track, albeit still far off, and await results elsewhere to learn ...Read more

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Twins rely on their youth to win first road series since July

Sports / Baseball /

The Minnesota Twins turned their attention to their younger players after they fell out of the playoff picture, and the kids carried them to a series victory at Oracle Park on Wednesday.

In a 4-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants, Luke Keaschall hit a solo homer. Ben Ross hit a triple and scored. Walker Jenkins delivered a pinch-hit, go-...Read more

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Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Lagrange, Game 1 starter among Yankees' many playoff puzzle pieces

Sports / Baseball /

NEW YORK — The postseason is right around the corner, and the Yankees have more question marks than The Riddler’s suit.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, at least in some instances, as manager Aaron Boone revealed that some unexpected players could factor into the team’s postseason plans on Wednesday. While the Bombers don’t expect ...Read more

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Valdez starts hot but gets little support as Tigers lose to Nationals

Sports / Baseball /

DETROIT — Framber Valdez, for all the turbulence early in the season, got it right at the end. Well, mostly right.

Valdez, the workhorse lefty, finished his first season in Detroit by setting down the first 11 hitters of the game and allowing two runs in 5 1/3 innings in the Tigers’ 4-2 loss to the Washington Nationals at Comerica Park ...Read more

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Orioles beat Blue Jays, 4-2, stave off elimination to open doubleheader

Sports / Baseball /

BALTIMORE — The Orioles are on the verge of being eliminated from postseason contention, entering Wednesday five games back of a playoff spot with five games to play.

Those hopes will stay alive for at least a few more hours.

Baltimore beat the Blue Jays, 4-2, to open a doubleheader against Toronto on Wednesday afternoon. In a game that was ...Read more

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Twins hold on for 3-2 win in Taj Bradley's final start of season

Sports / Baseball /

SAN FRANCISCO – Taj Bradley was the Twins’ best pitcher all season, and he gave a fitting performance in his final start.

Bradley allowed three hits and one run over six innings, leading the Twins to a 3-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee gave the Twins their first lead with consecutive run...Read more

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Mariners on brink of elimination after shutout loss to Astros

Sports / Baseball /

The Mariners jogged on to the manicured emerald grass of T-Mobile Park early Tuesday evening knowing that a loss didn’t really work into the equation for a miracle finish to their otherwise disappointing season.

“We have a lot in front of us and our backs are to the wall a little bit,” manager Dan Wilson said hours before the first pitch....Read more