MLB

Do-Hyoung Park KANSAS CITY — The Twins only hit one homer in their 4-3 series-clinching victory over the Royals on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium — a go-ahead jack by Nelson Cruz in the eighth inning — to gain ground on the Yankees, who held a 305-304 edge after their...

Adam McCalvy DENVER — Lorenzo Cain’s left ankle has more tape than a gift wrap counter at Christmas. His left knee has been aching for weeks. But he still managed to dazzle in center field with the Brewers’ National League Central hopes on the line. A hobbled Cain made a...

Todd Zolecki PHILADELPHIA — Zach Eflin finished his season making a strong case to be in the Phillies’ rotation in 2020. Eflin allowed three runs in 7 2/3 innings in Saturday night’s 9-3 victory over the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. The win improved the Phillies to 81-80, guaranteeing they...

Anthony DiComo NEW YORK — Shortly after Pete Alonso matched Aaron Judge’s Major League rookie home run record on Friday night, Judge said in no uncertain terms that Alonso would soon stand alone atop the leaderboard. No matter that only two games remained in the season. Alonso’s reputation had reached...

Jordan Bastian ST. LOUIS — The moment is finally arriving. Since November, it has been known that the Cubs would not broach the subject of a potential contract extension with manager Joe Maddon until the conclusion of this season. Maddon is planning on talking things over with president of baseball...

Bryan Hoch ARLINGTON — James Paxton is a leading candidate to take the ball against the Twins in next week’s Game 1 of the American League Division Series presented by Doosan, and the Yankees’ left-hander believes he will have no difficulty preparing for that potential assignment. Paxton threw only one...

WASHINGTON — An elimination game at home with Max Scherzer on the mound. That’s what the Nationals secured for themselves with Saturday’s 10-7 victory over the Indians, a season-high seventh win in a row that locked up home-field advantage in Tuesday’s National League Wild Card Game. The Nats cruised to...

Ken Gurnick SAN FRANCISCO — Hyun-Jin Ryu made his final bid for a Cy Young Award — and threw his bat into the ring for a Silver Slugger Award — in the Dodgers’ 2-0 win over the Giants on Saturday afternoon at Oracle Park. The victory tied the franchise single-season...

Juan Toribio TORONTO — The visiting clubhouse at Rogers Centre still smelled like champagne, beer and cigars. The floor was still wet, and the celebratory goggles were still on display in each player’s locker. Friday night’s playoff-clinching celebration was one that the Rays’ players will never forget. But they still...

Do-Hyoung Park KANSAS CITY — Twins rookie sensation Luis Arraez was carted off at Kauffman Stadium following the seventh inning of Saturday afternoon’s 4-3 win over the Royals after injuring his right leg in a collision on the field. Initial tests revealed a sprained right ankle, and Arraez will undergo...

Jeffrey Flanagan KANSAS CITY — The Royals have never had an American League home run champion. That may be about to change. Royals slugger Jorge Soler blasted his 46th home run in the first inning against the Twins on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium — taking over the AL lead....

If there is a Game 163 this year, meet me in St. Louis. Major League Baseball announced on Saturday that in the event a National League Central tiebreaker game is necessary between the Cardinals and Brewers, it will be played in St. Louis on Monday at 3:09 p.m ET on...

Richard Justice In ranking the postseason lineups, we’ll begin with this: Pay no attention to who will or won’t play for the Yankees. It does not seem to matter. No, seriously. Look, we know it does matter. In a perfect world, Aaron Boone’s Game 1 lineup card will have Gary...

Thomas Harrigan Whether the “clutch gene” is real or not, the bright lights of the postseason provide a unique opportunity for players to raise their profiles and earn newfound recognition from the baseball world. Although teams are smart enough not to place too much value on playoff performance, given the...

Ken Gurnick SAN FRANCISCO — Most pitchers headed to the postseason use their final regular-season start for a tuneup. Walker Buehler used it on Friday night for tinkering. Although the Dodgers battered the Giants 9-2 — to tie for the most wins in Los Angeles history at 104 — Buehler...

Maria Guardado SAN FRANCISCO — Madison Bumgarner won’t be on the mound for Bruce Bochy’s final game after all. Bochy announced Friday that Bumgarner will not start Sunday’s regular-season finale as expected, officially ending the 30-year-old left-hander’s 2019 campaign and potentially bringing his career with the Giants to a close....

Ken Gurnick SAN FRANCISCO — The injury updates were mostly good news for the Dodgers on Friday. Joe Kelly, who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 18 with an unspecified condition, threw a bullpen session effectively enough for manager Dave Roberts to say he expected Kelly to pitch in Sunday’s regular-season finale....