Stanton’s pursuit of 60 HRs falls short
MIAMI » Giancarlo Stanton came up short in his quest for 60 home runs, and Adonis Garcia hit a pinch-hit three-run home run to lift the Atlanta Braves over the Miami Marlins 8-5 in the season finale for both teams Sunday.
Stanton finished with ML-bests 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.
Loria spent part of the game near the Marlins’ dugout. Jeter watched from a suite, casually eating popcorn.
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. 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.
Colorado wrapped up the regular season 87-75 for its best mark since 2009, which was the last time the team went to the postseason before clinching the second NL wild-card spot Saturday.
The Rockies travel to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks in a one-game playoff on Wednesday. The winner will meet Los Angeles in Game 1 of an NL Division Series on Friday at Dodger Stadium.
ASTROS 4, RED SOX 3 » Jose Altuve coasted to his third AL batting title despite going hitless in two atbats, 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.
One day after the Red Sox won to clinch the first back-to-back AL East titles in franchise history, the teams filled out their lineups with backups to play a meaningless Game 162. Houston had already replaced starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel with Collin McHugh (5-2), and Boston manager John Farrell scratched ace Chris Sale after Saturday’s win so he could rest up for the playoffs.
The best-of-five ALDS begins Thursday in Houston. PIRATES 11, NATIONALS 8 » Gio Gonzalez gave up five runs in the first inning of yet another concerning outing for a Nationals starting pitcher, and the NL East champions wrapped up the regular season with a loss to the Pirates.
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 threerun double along with Jacob Stallings’ RBI single.
This came a day after 2016 NL Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer left his last pre-playoffs start for Washington in the fourth inning after feeling something wrong with his right hamstring. At least Scherzer sounded optimistic about things Sunday, saying that an MRI exam showed he had only “tweaked” his muscle, not strained it.
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 with a victory over the Cardinals.
Jesus Aguliar added a two-run 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 on Saturday.
St. Louis finished the season 83-79, three games worse than last year. The Cardinals failed to make the postseason in back-to-back to years for the first time since 2007-2008.
Wilkerson (1-0) allowed one run on two hits over seven innings. He set down the first 17 hitters before Jose Martinez delivered a pinch-hit single to right with two out in the sixth.
CUBS 3, REDS 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.
Chicago (92-70) is trying to become the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998-2000. It will face Washington in the NL Division Series beginning on Friday. ATHLETICS 5, RANGERS 2 » Daniel Mengden struck out eight, Khris Davis hit his career-best 43rd homer and the last-place Athletics ended the season with a win at Texas.