A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ LET'S GET IT SETTLED St. Louis, Milwaukee, San Francisco and Philadelphia enter the last day of the regular season competing for two postseason spots, and the biggest game of the day pits Christian Yelich's Brewers against Yadier Molina's Cardinals. A team-by-team breakdown of what each club needs to clinch: Cardinals (29-28) — Qualify with a victory over Milwaukee or a loss by the Giants. If St. Louis loses and San Francisco wins, the Cardinals would make up two games against Detroit on Monday that were postponed this season due to St. Louis' coronavirus outbreak. Brewers (29-30) — Qualify with a victory over St. Louis, or with losses by the Giants and Phillies. Giants (29-30) — Qualify with a victory over San Diego and a Brewers loss. If the Giants and Brewers win, San Francisco needs St. Louis to lose both games against the Tigers on Monday. Phillies (28-31) — Qualify with a win over Tampa Bay and losses by the Brewers and Giants.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors Sunday: ___ LET'S GET IT SETTLED St. Louis, Milwaukee, San Francisco and Philadelphia enter the last day of the regular season competing for two postseason spots, and the biggest game of the day pits Christian Yelich's Brewers against Yadier Molina's Cardinals. A team-by-team breakdown of what each club needs to clinch: Cardinals (29-28) — Qualify with a victory over Milwaukee or a loss by the Giants. If St. Louis loses and San Francisco wins, the Cardinals would make up two games against Detroit on Monday that were postponed this season due to St. Louis' coronavirus outbreak. Brewers (29-30) — Qualify with a victory over St. Louis, or with losses by the Giants and Phillies. Giants (29-30) — Qualify with a victory over San Diego and a Brewers loss. If the Giants and Cardinals win, San Francisco needs St. Louis to lose both games against the Tigers on Monday. Phillies (28-31) — Qualify with a win over Tampa Bay and losses by the Brewers and Giants.... [More]

Sept. 23 1908 — In a crucial game with the Chicago Cubs, Fred Merkle of the New York Giants failed to touch second base as the apparent winning run crossed home plate. This resulted in a great dispute and the game was eventually declared a tie and played over Oct. 8 when the Cubs and Giants ended the season in a tie. 1952 — The Brooklyn Dodgers clinched the NL title, the first time since 1948 the pennant wasn’t decided in the season’s final game. 1957 — Hank Aaron’s 11th-inning homer gave the Milwaukee Braves a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals and the NL pennant. It was the first time since 1950 that a New York team hadn’t finished first. 1979 — Lou Brock stole base No. 938, breaking Billy Hamilton’s record, as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Mets 7-4 in 10 innings. 1983 — Steve Carlton of Philadelphia recorded his 300th career victory with a 6-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. 1984 — The Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 4-1, making Sparky Anderson the... [More]

Sept. 20 1902 — Chicago’s Jim Callaghan tossed the White Sox’s first no-hitter, beating Detroit 2-0. 1907 — Pittsburgh’s Nicholas Maddox became the first Pirates pitcher to throw a no-hitter by defeating the Brooklyn Superbas, 2-1, at Exposition Park. Pirates player-manager Fred Clarke had the only two hits of the game, both off Elmer Stricklett. All three runs in the game were unearned. Brooklyn scored its run in the fourth, thanks to errors by Maddox and shortstop Honus Wagner. Maddox made a high throw over first baseman Harry Swacina’s head, allowing Emil Batch to reach base. Batch scored when Wagner threw away Al Burch’s ground ball. 1908 — Frank Smith of the Chicago White Sox threw his second career no-hitter for a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Athletics. 1912 — The Detroit Tigers snapped Joe Wood’s 16-game win streak with a 6-4 win over the Boston Red Sox. 1924 — Grover Cleveland Alexander won his 300th game as the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Giants 7-3 in 12 innings. 1958... [More]

Sept. 19 1925 — Ted Lyons lost his bid for a no-hitter when Bobby Veach singled with two outs in the ninth inning. The Chicago White Sox routed the Washington Senators 17-0. 1926 — The St. Louis Cardinals pounded the Philadelphia Phillies 23-3 in the first game of a doubleheader and beat them again in the nightcap, 10-2. 1949 — Ralph Kiner of the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first NL player to hit 50 home runs in two different seasons. 1955 — Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs set a major league record with his fifth grand slam of the season in a 12-inning, 6-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. 1968 — Denny McLain won his 31st game, the most in the AL since Lefty Grove’s 31 in 1931. The Detroit Tigers beat the New York Yankees 6-2 while Mickey Mantle hit his 535th and next-to-last career homer. 1973 — Frank Robinson hit his first home run in Arlington Stadium, as a member of the California Angels. It was the 32nd major league ballpark in which he had homered. 1984 — Pete Rose reached the 100-hit... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen has agreed to buy the New York Mets from the Wilpon and Katz families.The team announced the agreement on Monday. The deal is subject to the approval of Major League Baseball owners.A Cohen entity would control 95% of the team, with the Wilpon and Katz families retaining the rest. The deal values the franchise at $2.4 billion to $2.5 billion.Former major league star Alex Rodriguez and fiancee Jennifer Lopez also attempted to buy the team, but they dropped out of the bidding last month.“I am excited to have reached an agreement with the Wilpon and Katz families to purchase the New York Mets,” Cohen said in a statement.Cohen also entered negotiations to buy the Mets last year, but the deal fell apart in February. He bought an 8% limited partnership stake in 2012 for $40 million. The deal that failed to close would have seen him acquire an 80% controlling share in a transaction that valued the team at $2.6 billion.The current Mets... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today:___PLAYOFF PURSUITSecond place in the AL East is up for grabs when Toronto opens a critical three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Cavan Biggio and the Blue Jays are a half-game ahead of New York — the top two teams in each division qualify for the postseason this year without needing a wild card. Prized rookie Deivi García (1-1, 3.06 ERA) pitches for the Yankees, who have won five straight following a 5-16 slide. Taijuan Walker (3-2, 2.95) goes for Toronto. Both clubs are chasing Tampa Bay. New York expects to get third baseman Gio Urshela and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga back from the injured list. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman also could hear back on his appeal of a three-game suspension.WILD WESTThe surging San Diego Padres go for their ninth straight victory and try to close within a half-game of the West-leading Dodgers when the NL's top two teams square off again at Petco Park. Trent Grisham added some spice to the rivalry when... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Tuesday:___PLAYOFF PURSUITSecond place in the AL East is up for grabs when Toronto opens a critical three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Cavan Biggio and the Blue Jays are a half-game ahead of New York — the top two teams in each division qualify for the postseason this year without needing a wild card. Prized rookie Deivi García (1-1, 3.06 ERA) pitches for the Yankees, who have won five straight following a 5-16 slide. Taijuan Walker (3-2, 2.95) goes for Toronto. Both clubs are chasing Tampa Bay. New York expects to get third baseman Gio Urshela and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga back from the injured list. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman also could hear back on his appeal of a three-game suspension.WILD WESTThe surging San Diego Padres go for their ninth straight victory and try to close within a half-game of the West-leading Dodgers when the NL's top two teams square off again at Petco Park. Trent Grisham added some spice to the rivalry when... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Tuesday:___PLAYOFF PURSUITSecond place in the AL East is up for grabs when Toronto opens a critical three-game series at Yankee Stadium. Cavan Biggio and the Blue Jays are a half-game ahead of New York — the top two teams in each division qualify for the postseason this year without needing a wild card. Prized rookie Deivi García (1-1, 3.06 ERA) pitches for the Yankees, who have won five straight following a 5-16 slide. Taijuan Walker (3-2, 2.95) goes for Toronto. Both clubs are chasing Tampa Bay. New York expects to get third baseman Gio Urshela and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga back from the injured list. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman also could hear back on his appeal of a three-game suspension.TOUGH ASSIGNMENTClinging to an American League wild-card spot, the Cleveland Indians attempt to stop a six-game losing streak when they face Yu Darvish (7-2, 1.77 ERA) and the first-place Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. On the mound for the Indians... [More]

Kansas City's Brady Singer took a no-hitter into the eighth inning Thursday. Then, a night later, Casey Mize began a game with five hitless frames for Detroit.For fans of the Royals and Tigers, it was a welcome glimpse of what the future could hold.Singer and Mize were both drafted in the first round in 2018 — Mize was the top pick overall — and each has had a chance to pitch during this pandemic-shortened season. Neither has particularly good numbers overall, but this past week was a step in the right direction.Singer is 2-4 with a 4.66 ERA in nine starts. His eight-inning effort Thursday was the first time he'd lasted at least six. Mize hasn't gone six innings yet, but he went 5 1/3 on Friday for his longest start. He is 0-1 with a 5.85 ERA.These two aren't alone with their growing pains. Plenty of other young pitchers have had similar struggles this year. Toronto's Nate Pearson (0-0, 6.61 ERA) made four starts but has had elbow issues recently, San Diego's Luis Patino (0-0, 5.52) has... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Alec Mills cruised through baseball’s second no-hitter this season in just the 15th start of his major league career, leading the Chicago Cubs over the Milwaukee Brewers 12-0 on Sunday.The former college walk-on at Tennessee-Martin retired Jace Peterson on a game-ending groundout. Peterson had replaced 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich on defense to start the eighth inning.Mills (5-3) threw 114 pitches and hardly had any close calls in Chicago’s 16th no-hitter. He struck out five, walked three and induced five swings and misses, tied with Oakland’s Dallas Braden during his perfect game in 2010 for fewest in a no-hitter since at least 1988, according to Stats.Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito threw baseball’s other no-hitter this season against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 15.Jason Heyward’s RBI double put the Cubs ahead in a five-run fourth against Adrian Houser (1-5) that included Ian Happ’s two-run single. David Bote added a two-run homer in the fifth.ANGELS 5, ROCKIES... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Alec Mills cruised through baseball’s second no-hitter this season in just the 15th start of his major league career, leading the Chicago Cubs over the Milwaukee Brewers 12-0 on Sunday.The former college walk-on at Tennessee-Martin retired Jace Peterson on a game-ending groundout. Peterson had replaced 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich on defense to start the eighth inning.Mills (5-3) threw 114 pitches and hardly had any close calls in Chicago’s 16th no-hitter. He struck out five, walked three and induced five swings and misses, tied with Oakland’s Dallas Braden during his perfect game in 2010 for fewest in a no-hitter since at least 1988, according to Stats.Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito threw baseball’s other no-hitter this season against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 15.Jason Heyward’s RBI double put the Cubs ahead in a five-run fourth against Adrian Houser (1-5) that included Ian Happ’s two-run single. David Bote added a two-run homer in the fifth.ANGELS 5, ROCKIES... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Alec Mills cruised through baseball’s second no-hitter this season in just the 15th start of his major league career, leading the Chicago Cubs over the Milwaukee Brewers 12-0 on Sunday.The former college walk-on at Tennessee-Martin retired Jace Peterson on a game-ending groundout. Peterson had replaced 2018 NL MVP Christian Yelich on defense to start the eighth inning.Mills (5-3) threw 114 pitches and hardly had any close calls in Chicago’s 16th no-hitter. He struck out five, walked three and induced five swings and misses, tied with Oakland’s Dallas Braden during his perfect game in 2010 for fewest in a no-hitter since at least 1988, according to Stats.Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito threw baseball’s other no-hitter this season against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 15.Jason Heyward’s RBI double put the Cubs ahead in a five-run fourth against Adrian Houser (1-5) that included Ian Happ’s two-run single. David Bote added a two-run homer in the fifth.ANGELS 5, ROCKIES... [More]

Sept. 121932 — Brooklyn’s Johnny Frederick hit his sixth pinch home run of the season, a major league record, in the ninth inning to spark the Dodgers to a 4-3 triumph over the Chicago Cubs at Ebbets Field.1947 — Ralph Kiner of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit two home runs — his seventh and eighth in four games — for a major league record.1962 — Tom Cheney of the Washington Senators set a record by fanning 21 Baltimore Orioles in a 16-inning game, which he won 2-1.1976 — Minnie Minoso singled in three at bats as the designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox. At 53, he became the oldest player to get a hit in a regulation game.1979 — Carl Yastrzemski got his 3,000th hit — a ground single off Jim Beattie — as the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 9-2.1984 — Dwight Gooden broke the rookie strikeout record, fanning 16 Pittsburgh Pirates to give him 251, six more than Herb Score had in 1955. Gooden broke the record by striking out Marvell Wynne in the sixth inning.1996 — Seattle’s Alex Rodriguez... [More]

Sept. 51908 — Brooklyn’s Nap Rucker pitched a 6-0 no-hitter against Boston. Rucker struck out 14 and walked none.1918 — Babe Ruth pitched a six-hitter as the Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 in the opening game of the World Series. The Series was started early due to World War I.1954 — Roswell’s Joe Bauman of the Longhorn League hit three home runs to give him 72 for the season. Bauman never made it to the majors.1955 — Brooklyn pitcher Don Newcombe connected for his seventh homer of the season for a National League record for home runs by a pitcher. The Dodgers, behind Newcombe’s power and 20th win, beat the Phillies 11-4.1971 — J.R. Richard tied Karl Spooner’s major league record by striking out 15 San Francisco Giants in his first major league game as the Houston Astros beat the Giants.1982 — Roy Smalley hit a pair of three-run homers, one from each side of the plate, as the Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 18-7.1998 — Mark McGwire became the third player in baseball history... [More]

Sept. 31917 — Philadelphia’s Grover Cleveland Alexander went the distance in both games of the Phillies’ 5-0 and 9-3 sweep of the Brooklyn Dodgers.1947 — Bill McCahan pitched a 3-0 no-hitter to give the Philadelphia Athletics a 3-0 win over Washington.1947 — The New York Yankees had 18 hits, all singles, in an 11-2 victory over Boston at Fenway Park. Tommy Henrich and Joe DiMaggio each had four hits.1957 — Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves recorded his 41st career shutout with an 8-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Spahn’s shutout set a major league record for left-handed pitchers.1970 — Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs asked to be kept out of the lineup, snapping his National League record of 1,117 consecutive games played. His record was broken in 1983 by Steve Garvey.1981 — The Boston Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners played the longest game in Fenway Park’s history, 19 innings, before the game was suspended with the score tied 7-7. The Mariners won 8-7 in 20 innings... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Former major league star Alex Rodriguez and fiancee Jennifer Lopez have backed out of the bidding to purchase the New York Mets amid reports that the Wilpon family is finalizing a deal with billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen.Rodriguez announced Friday night that despite “a fully funded offer at a record price,” their group was pulling its offer.“The consortium said that they are disappointed to not be part of the revitalization of New York City and provide an exhilarating experience for the fans and wish the Wilpon family and the entire Mets organization well," the celebrity couple said in a statement.CNBC reported Friday night that Cohen had entered final negotiations and was expected to finalize a deal with the team in the coming days. The Mets declined to comment.Cohen also entered negotiations to purchase the Mets last year, but the deal fell apart in February. The hedge fund manager bought an 8% limited partnership stake in 2012 for $40 million. The deal under... [More]

DETROIT (AP) — Javier Báez hit two home runs and the Chicago Cubs became the second franchise in major league history to post 11,000 wins, beating the Detroit Tigers 9-3 on Monday night.Only the Giants have won more, with 11,179 victories after starting in New York in 1883 and later moving to San Francisco.The Cubs, who earned their first victory in 1876, improved to 11,000-10,414. The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers are close behind with 10,996 wins.David Bote homered and drove in four runs for the NL Central-leading Cubs. Báez had three RBIs.Cubs starter Alec Mills (3-2) got the win, giving up three runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out seven. Tigers top prospect Casey Mize (0-1) made his first home start, allowing four runs — three earned — on five hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out two.BLUE JAYS 6, RAYS 4ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Randal Grichuk hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning and Toronto beat Tampa Bay.Reliever Aaron Loup (3-2) replaced Edgar García... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Manny Machado hit a grand slam with one out in the 10th inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Texas Rangers for the third straight game, 6-3 Wednesday night.Machado’s 11th career grand slam and sixth walkoff homer came off Rafael Montero (0-1), whose only out in the 10th came on pinch-hitter Greg Garcia’s sacrifice.Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit his MLB-leading 12th homer earlier, drew a walk off Montero to load the bases ahead of Machado, who hit his sixth homer of the season.The Padres have hit grand slams in three straight games for the first time in club history.Texas had gone ahead 3-2 in the top of the inning when Willie Calhoun’s dribbler in front of the plate off Tim Hill (1-0) scored Nick Solak with two outs.Joey Gallo had tied the game at 2 with a homer off Matt Strahm leading off the ninth, his seventh. The Padres beat the Rangers in Arlington on Monday and Tuesday.Roughned Odor homered off Chris Paddack with one out in the second, his third.INDIANS 6, PIRATES... [More]

Aug. 171904 — Jesse Tannehill of the Boston Red Sox pitched a no-hitter, beating the Chicago White Sox 6-0.1920 — Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman died from a beaning by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees on Aug. 16. This was the only on-field fatality in major league history.1933 — Earl Averill of the Cleveland Indians hit for the cycle in a 15-4 rout of the Philadelphia Athletics.1933 — New York’s Lou Gehrig played in his 1,308th straight game to break Everett Scott’s record of 1,307. Gehrig’s single and triple didn’t prevent the last-place St. Louis Browns from beating the Yankees 7-6 in 10 innings at Sportsman’s Park.1944 — Johnny Lindell of the New York Yankees hit four consecutive doubles in a 10-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Lindell drove in two runs and scored twice.1963 — Jim Hickman became the first New York Met to hit for cycle in a 7-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Hickman got the cycle in his first four times up — in single, double, triple, homer order.1972 — Steve... [More]