Stanton falls short in bid for No. 60, Braves win
MIAMI » Giancarlo Stanton came up short in his quest for 60 home runs, and Adonis Garcia hit a pinch-hit threerun home run to lift the Atlanta Braves over the Miami Marlins 8-5 in the season finale for both teams Sunday.
Stanton finished with MLbests of 59 home runs and 132 RBIs. His final chance at No. 60 came in the ninth, and the crowd of 25,222 saluted him with a long ovation after he struck out swinging. He then came out for a curtain call, followed by hugs from teammates.
It was the final game of Jeffrey Loria’s 16-year tenure as Marlins owner, one where the team won the 2003 World Series and didn’t make the playoffs again. He was in attendance, as was Derek Jeter — who will assume control of the franchise this week when the $1.2 billion sale to a group led by him and Bruce Sherman is closed. INDIANS 3, WHITE SOX 1 » Jay Bruce had a two-run single, Josh Tomlin pitched into the sixth inning and the Indians got their AL-best 102nd victory, beating the White Sox.
Cleveland will next play an AL Division Series against the winner of the wild-card game between the Yankees and Twins. The 102 victories were the second most in franchise history behind the 1954 team’s 111.
Jose Ramirez went 2 for 2, including his AL-high 56th double, and Carlos Santana had a sacrifice fly for the Indians, who are seeking a second straight World Series appearance. Bruce’s two RBIs in the first inning gave him 100 for the second time in his career. DODGERS 6, ROCKIES 3 » Corey Seager had three hits to break out of a funk and the Dodgers headed into the postseason on a high note, holding off the playoff-bound Rockies.
At 104-58, the Dodgers finished tied for the second-most wins in franchise history with the 1942 squad (104-50) in Brooklyn. The ‘53 team went 105-49. ASTROS 4, RED SOX 3 » Jose Altuve coasted to his third AL batting title despite going hitless in two at-bats, and the Astros scored four times in the seventh inning to rally from a three-run deficit and beat the Red Sox in a preview of their AL Division Series matchup.
Altuve finished the season with a .346 average to easily beat Avasail Garcia of the Chicago White Sox, who finished at .330, for the batting crown. The Astros second baseman is the third right-handed hitter since 1900 to win three or more batting titles. DIAMONDBACKS 14, ROYALS 2 » Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Alcides Escobar tipped their caps and likely said goodbye to Kansas City fans against playoffbound Arizona.
The foursome joined the Royals in 2011 and keyed the team’s run into consecutive World Series, including a championship in 2015. They are all eligible for free agency after the season. GIANTS 5, PADRES 4 » Pablo Sandoval hit a game-ending solo homer with one out in the ninth inning, lifting the Giants over the Padres.
Cueto had a rocky outing on the last day of the season, allowing four runs and 12 hits in five innings. Cueto can opt out of the $130 million, sixyear contract he signed before the 2016 season and become a free agent.
Sandoval hit a 3-2 fastball from rookie Phil Maton (3-2). It was his fifth homer in 47 games since returning to San Francisco this summer. BREWERS 6, CARDINALS 1 » Aaron Wilkerson took a perfect game into the sixth inning, Brett Phillips hit a threerun homer and the Brewers closed out their near-miss of a season.
Jesus Aguliar added a tworun homer in the eighth for the Brewers, who finished 86-76, 13 games ahead of last year’s pace. They were in first place or tied for the top spot in the NL Central for 65 days, but ultimately they were eliminated from wild-card contention with a loss Saturday. REDS 3, CUBS 1 » Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant each had a light day of work as the Cubs prepared for the playoffs by playing much of their roster during a loss to Deck McGuire and the Reds.
Most of Chicago’s starting lineup was gone by the fifth inning. Rizzo flied out leading off the first, and then was replaced in the field by Taylor Davis. Bryant and shortstop Addison Russell were pulled after the NL Central champion Cubs batted in the fourth. ATHLETICS 5, RANGERS 2 » Daniel Mengden struck out eight, and Khris Davis hit his career-best 43rd homer for last-place Oakland.
The Athletics (75-87) finished at the bottom of the AL West for the third consecutive season, a franchise first, but won six more games than last season thanks to 17 victories in their last 24 games.
Manager Bob Melvin even got a contract extension this week, adding a year through 2019. BLUE JAYS 2, YANKEES 1 » Jose Bautista singled off the wall and hit a sacrifice fly in what was probably his final game with Toronto, and the Blue Jays edged the playoff-bound Yankees.
Matt Holliday homered for the Yankees in a tuneup for the AL wild-card game Tuesday night at home against Minnesota. The winner faces AL Central champion Cleveland in a best-offive Division Series beginning Thursday. ANGELS 6, MARINERS 2 » Parker Bridwell pitched seven scoreless innings in a duel with James Paxton, Eric Young Jr. hit a three-run homer and the Angels beat the Mariners
Paxton shut out Los Angeles for six innings, but Young homered off James Pazos during a six-run seventh inning.
Bridwell (10-3) allowed three hits and a walk while striking out three. Acquired in a trade with Baltimore in April, Bridwell finished year with a 3.64 ERA. TWINS 5, TIGERS 1 » Bartolo Colon made a final bid to be included in Minnesota’s postseason rotation, pitching one-run ball into the seventh inning to lead the Twins to a victory over the Tigers.
Jason Castro homered and drove in three runs for the Twins, who play an AL wild-card game in New York against the Yankees Tuesday night.
A win would put the Twins in an ALDS against Cleveland, where Minnesota may need an experienced arm like Colon (5-6). RAYS 6, ORIOLES 0 » Blake Snell struck out a career-high 13 in seven innings and the Rays beat the Orioles.
The Rays won their last four games to finish at 80-82, a 12-game improvement over last season. PIRATES 11, NATIONALS 8 » Gio Gonzalez gave up five runs in the first inning of yet another concerning outing for a starting pitcher for the NL East champions.
Gonzalez (15-9) needed 39 pitches across 16 arduous minutes to record the game’s first three outs, while his ERA rose from 2.75 to 2.96 just in that opening inning.
The Pirates batted around as the lefty walked two batters, hit Jordan Luplow to force in a run with the bases loaded and allowed Max Moroff’s three-run double along with Jacob Stallings’ RBI single. the