SUNDAY’S MLB ROUNDUP

AMERICAN LEAGUE RED SOX 5, ORIOLES 4

BOSTON — Eduardo Rodriguez missed out on a 20-win season when Boston’s bullpen blew a late lead, but the Red Sox overcame a soaring home run robbery by Stevie Wilkerson to beat the Baltimore Orioles in the regular season finale on Mookie Betts’ ninth-inning dash home. Betts scored from first on a single by Rafael Devers with no outs. Devers’ hit caromed off shortstop Richie Martin’s glove, causing Wilkerson to hesitate in right. Betts beat a late throw by Wilkerson to give the defending World Series champions a celebratory cap to a disappointing season.

ASTROS 8, ANGELS 5

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Gerrit Cole capped a special season by checking off some milestones. Cole earned his career-high 20th win, added to his major league-leading strikeout total and finished with the best ERA in the AL, wrapping up a dominant season for himself and the Houston Astros with a victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

“It was a consummate team effort,” Cole said. “The offense was impeccable. Defense was great. Then the bullpen picked me up. It wasn’t a situation where we could really stretch the pitch count so I needed my teammates to pick me up and they did.”

BLUE JAYS 8, RAYS 3

TORONTO — Blake Snell is searching for his best form as October approaches. The Tampa Bay Rays hope their ace left-hander gets another chance to find it. Snell lost in a tuneup for a potential postseason outing, and the Rays were beaten by the Toronto Blue Jays in their last game before the wild card playoff against the Oakland Athletics.

MARINERS 3, ATHLETICS 1

SEATTLE — Tanner Roark seemed to describe perfectly the approach of the playoff-bound Oakland Athletics on the final day of the regular season.

“I don’t know. It was a 12 o’clock game, last game of the season, we’ve already clinched a wild-card spot, so I’m sure you guys can imagine where our minds are at,” Roark said.

WHITE SOX 5, TIGERS 3

CHICAGO — In honor of Tim Anderson becoming the third Chicago White Sox player to win an American League batting title, a single bottle of champagne sat chilling in his locker on Sunday. The 26-year-old shortstop is hoping for a team-wide toast next season.

ROYALS 5, TWINS 4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Royals put a memorable finish on a forgettable 2019 season. Jorge Soler locked up the AL home run crown with his 48th, Brett Phillips drove a game-ending sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and Kansas City beat the Minnesota Twins in manager Ned Yost’s final game.

NATIONAL LEAGUE DODGERS 9, GIANTS 0

SAN FRANCISCO — Bruce Bochy bid an emotional farewell following 2 1/2 decades in what is certainly Hall of Fame managerial career, finishing with a 9-0 defeat to the mighty Dodgers on his last day as fans remained in their seats long after the game ended to celebrate a man who helped bring this city its only three World Series championships. Los Angeles won its franchise-record 106th game, jumping to a 5-0 lead in the first that held up on Will Smith’s two-run homer right after a bases-clearing, three-run double by Corey Seager.

REDS 3, PIRATES 1

PITTSBURGH — The Pirates will head into the offseason searching for a new voice after firing Clint Hurdle. The Cincinnati Reds may have found theirs during a season that offered tangible proof that years of rebuilding might finally be producing forward momentum. The evidence came in a victory over Pittsburgh. Aristides Aquino finished off two scintillating months by hitting his 19th home run. Brian O’Grady and Alex Blandino went deep too to help Tyler Mahle to his first win since May as Cincinnati finished 75-87 during first-year manager David Bell, an eight-win improvement over 2018 and the club’s best record since a 76-86 mark in 2014.

MARLINS 4, PHILLIES 3

PHILADELPHIA — After a season that fell well short of expectations, Bryce Harper can’t wait for another go-round in Philadelphia. Manager Gabe Kapler might not get that chance. Harper got two hits and a standing ovation to close out his first season with the Phillies, who finished at 81-81 after a loss to the Miami Marlins.

DIAMONDBACKS 1, PADRES 0

PHOENIX — Long after his day was done and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ season had ended, Taijuan Walker was still in uniform in a clubhouse abuzz with teammates saying their goodbyes to one another in a thrilling win over the San Diego Padres, He didn’t have time to change, having taken extra time with his family to celebrate his return from Tommy John surgery.

ROCKIES 4, BREWERS 3 13 INNINGS

DENVER — Already relegated to an NL wild-card spot, the Milwaukee Brewers lost to the Colorado Rockies 4-3 Sunday when Jake Faria threw a wild pitch in the 13th inning that allowed the winning run to score. The Brewers will play at Washington on Tuesday night in the wild-card game. The winner advances to take on the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

METS 7, BRAVES 6, 11 INNINGS

NEW YORK — Mike Soroka recovered from a shaky start in his playoff tuneup, but the banged-up Atlanta Braves limped into October with a loss to the New York Mets in 11 innings when Dominic Smith hit a game-ending, three-run homer on his first competitive swing in more than two months. Nine days after clinching their second consecutive NL East title, the Braves finally learned their postseason opponent when St. Louis won the NL Central with a 9-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. Atlanta will open a bestof-five Division Series at home against the Cardinals on Thursday, with veteran left-hander Dallas Keuchel expected to start for the Braves.

INTERLEAGUE NATIONALS 8, INDIANS 2

WASHINGTON — It’s been more than a century since a major league team went from 12 games under .500 to as many wins as the Washington Nationals accumulated this season. And the Nationals are surging into the playoffs, running their winning streak to a year-high eight games with an victory over the eliminated Cleveland Indians in a regular-season finale that meant nothing to either club.