Red Sox, Yanks set up showdown
The Red Sox will host the Yankees in the American League wild-card game Tuesday night after the rivals’ biggest stars came up big when their teams needed it most Sunday.
Aaron Judge drove home the winning run with a one-out single in the ninth inning of the Yankees’ 1-0 win over the visiting Rays. Later, Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers’ two-run homer in the ninth inning broke a tie against the Nationals for a 7-5 victory in Washington.
Devers’ second homer of the game — and 38th of the season — came on a drive to straightaway center field off Kyle Finnegan on a 2-1 pitch with one out after Kyle Schwarber reached on an error.
The homer capped a four-hit, four-RBI afternoon for Devers, brought teammates bounding out of the dugout and prompted chants of “Yankees suck!’’ from some of Boston’s fans who could be heard throughout much of the afternoon in a crowd of 33,986 at Nationals Park.
Meanwhile, at Yankees Stadium, shortstop Gio Urshela made a Derek Jeter-esque catch, charging recklessly into the visiting dugout, to help New York finish the year 92-70, punching a fifth consecutive postseason ticket after nearly falling into a labyrinth of tiebreaker scenarios.
The victories by New York and Boston officially eliminated the surging Mariners and Blue Jays from the playoffs. The Jays’ victory over the Orioles ended up not mattering, and the Mariners lost to the Angels.
Giants cap historic season with West title
The Giants finally won the National League West without needing to wait for the rival Dodgers’ result on the season’s final day, pounding the Padres 11-4 for a franchise-record 107th victory to top the 1904 New York team.
Logan Webb allowed four runs, struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter while pitching seven-plus stellar innings. He also hit a tworun homer in the fifth for the first blast of his career. Buster Posey drove in three runs on a pair of singles.
Dodgers relegated to wild-card hosts
Trea Turner hit his second grand slam in less than 48 hours to easily wrap up the NL batting title, and the Dodgers beat the Brewers 10-3 for their 106th victory, only to finish as the winningest second-place team in major-league history.
The Dodgers’ streak of eight NL West titles ended with them one game behind the Giants. The Dodgers host St. Louis in the NL wild-card game Wednesday, and the winner plays the Giants in the NL Division Series.
Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy is “very unlikely” to play in the wild-card game, according to manager Dave Roberts, after he injured his left elbow in the third inning.