Houston claims third consecutive AL West title
INTERLEAGUE
ASTROS 8, DIAMONDBACKS 1
PHOENIX — The Houston Astros celebrated clinching a playoff spot with T-shirts and a subdued toast.
A day later, after rallying to claim a bigger prize in their crosshairs, the Astros held an all-out locker room rager of cigars and champagne-and-beer showers that left puddles on the plastic-covered floors.
A season of injuries and inconsistencies ended with another division title. Even for a team that won the World Series last fall, that’s worth celebrating.
The Astros rallied to clinch their third consecutive AL West title, beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-1 on Sunday behind Christian Javier’s six strong innings and Alex Bregman’s tworun home run.
“A lot of people wanted to know what it’s like if the Astros didn’t win the division,” Bregman said before popping the cork on a champagne bottle. “I guess we’ll never know.”
Needing a win and a Texas loss to win the division, the Astros did their part by jumping on Kyle Nelson (7-4) from the first pitch. Houston had a 5-0 lead after two innings and Javier (10-5) held an Arizona lineup mostly devoid of everyday players to three hits.
Kyle Tucker had a sacrifice fly to finish with 112 RBI, most in the AL and third in the majors.
PADRES 2, WHITE SOX 1 (11) Jurickson Profar had two hits and drove in the go-ahead run in the 11th, leading San Diego over Chicago.
ROCKIES 3, TWINS 2 (11) Brenton Doyle scored from second base on a wild pitch in the 11th inning by outfielder-turned-pitcher Jordan Luplow, and Colorado rallied for a win over playoff-bound Minnesota.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
BREWERS 4, CUBS 0 Tyrone Taylor homered and Adrian Houser pitched five sharp innings as NL Central champion Milwaukee beat Chicago.
CARDINALS 4, REDS 3 Adam Wainwright made one final appearance in his 18-year big league career, striking out as a pinch hitter in St. Louis’ season-ending win over Cincinnati.
DODGERS 5, GIANTS 2 Brandon Crawford came off the injured list to play what might have been his final game after 13 seasons with the Giants, and Kike Hernandez spoiled the veteran shortstop’s likely farewell by hitting a three-run home run to lead Los Angeles past San Francisco.
NATIONALS 10, BRAVES 9 Atlanta homered three times to tie the major league season record of 307 but lost their regular-season finale to Washington as Jacob Young drove in two runs with a go-ahead single in the ninth.
PHILLIES 9, METS 1 Alec Bohm hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning, sending playoff-bound Philadelphia to a victory over New York.
PIRATES 3, MARLINS 0 Miguel Andujar hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning and Pittsburgh defeated playoff-bound Miami in the regular-season finale for both teams.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
ANGELS 7, ATHLETICS 3 Brandon Drury homered twice, doubled and drove in three runs, and Los Angeles wrapped up its eighth consecutive losing season with a win over major league-worst Oakland.
MARINERS 1, RANGERS 0 George Kirby allowed only three hits in six innings, and Seattle beat Texas and opened the door for Houston to win the American League West title.
RAYS 12, BLUE JAYS 8 Jonathan Aranda hit his first career grand slam and drove in six runs, Tampa Bay homered three times to set a single-season team record and the Rays roughed up Toronto on the final day of the regular season, helping to set up a wild card meeting with Texas. RED SOX 6, ORIOLES 1 Tanner Houck (6-10) threw six innings of one-hit ball and lastplace Boston earned a split in the four-game series against Baltimore.
ROYALS 5, YANKEES 2 Zack Greinke (2-15) threw four-hit ball into the sixth inning for his 225th win and, backed by a trio of home runs, helped Kansas City beat New York to end the season and quite possibly his own 20-year big league career.
TIGERS 5, GUARDIANS 2 Miguel Cabrera made a backhanded stop, stepped on first base and smiled in the eighth inning on the final play of his career, and Detroit beat Cleveland.