Rangers wrap up first playoff berth since 2016
RANGERS 6, MARINERS 1
SEATTLE — Bruce Bochy had a bottle of bubbly in his hand as he watched the celebration of a turnaround that very few expected in his first season in charge in Texas.
“This is what I came back for and there’s nothing like it,” Bochy said. “It’s been some kind of ride so far and we’ve got a lot of work to do but to be in this moment right now these are memories you never forget and for these guys I couldn’t be happier.”
The Rangers are back in the postseason for the first time since 2016, beating the Seattle Mariners 6-1 on Saturday to clinch a playoff spot in the American League.
Texas (90-71) can claim the American League West title and the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs with a win over the Mariners in the regular-season finale or a loss by Houston (8972) at Arizona today.
After a traditional clinching celebration in the middle of the clubhouse, the Rangers crowded into a dining room to watch the final outs of Houston’s 1-0 win over the Dia- mondbacks. That win pushed the division race to the final day and muted a little of the party.
But just a little.
“To come from where we did last year to make the playoffs is extremely exciting. That’s why we’re celebrating tonight,” Texas shortstop Corey Seager said.
The win by the Astros also eliminated the Mariners from the post- season race, falling short a year after ending a 21-year playoff drought.
The Rangers grabbed control by putting together a four-run third inning against Luis Castillo, highlighted by two-out hits from Nathaniel Lowe, Jonah Heim and Leody Tavares that all plated runs.
RAYS 7, BLUE JAYS 5 (10) Taylor Walls hit a two-run single in the 10th inning as Tampa Bay defeated host Toronto, which earned a playoff spot thanks to Seattle’s loss to Texas.
ORIOLES 5, RED SOX 2 Ryan Mountcastle hit a tiebreaking double in the seventh inning to lead Baltimore over visiting Boston.
YANKEES 5, ROYALS 2 Frankie Montas earned the win out of the bullpen for visiting New York in a victory over Kansas City.
TIGERS 8, GUARDIANS 0 Miguel Cabrera scored the first run of the game and drove in another, helping host Detroit beat Cleveland.
ATHLETICS 7, ANGELS 3 Shea Langeliers hit a tiebreaking three-run home run for visiting Oakland in a victory over Los Angeles.
INTERLEAGUE
ASTROS 1, DIAMONDBACKS 0 Justin Verlander threw five innings, Jose Abreu hit a run-scoring double and visiting Houston beat Arizona as both teams clinched playoff spots.
TWINS 14, ROCKIES 6 Trevor Lamach hit his first career grand slam, one of visiting Minnesota’s four home runs, in a victory over Colorado.
PADRES 6, WHITE SOX 1 Ha-Seong Kim had four hits to lead visiting San Diego over Chicago.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
MARLINS 7, PIRATES 3 Jzazz Chisholm hit his 19th home run, Josh Bell delivered a late tworun double and visiting Miami clinched a playoff berth with a victory over Pittsburgh.
CUBS 10, BREWERS 6 Yan Gomes hit a grand slam, Christopher Morel and Patrick Wisdom added home runs and visiting Chicago was eliminated from playoff contention despite a victory over host Milwaukee.
BRAVES 5, NATIONALS 3 Marcell Ozuna hit a go-ahead, three-run home run in the fifth inning and host Atlanta beat Washington.
METS 4-11, PHILLIES 3-4 Francisco Alvarez drove in a career-high six runs with his first big-league grand slam and a two-run home run, powering host New York to a doubleheader sweep of Philadelphia.
CARDINALS 15, REDS 6 Lars Nootbar hit a three-run home run, Jordan Walker and Ivan Herrera each added a two-run double and host St. Louis defeated Cincinnati.
GIANTS 2, DODGERS 1 Clayton Kershaw (135) lost for the first time since May as visiting Los Angeles fell to San Francisco.