Kirk powers Jays to playoff brink
Alejandro Kirk homered and drove in three runs, Bo Bichette had four hits and the Blue Jays put themselves on the brink of a playoff berth by beating the Tampa Bay Rays, 11-4, on Friday night in Toronto.
Brandon Belt and Matt Chapman each hit a solo shots for the Jays. Bichette went 4 for 5 with an RBI and scored three times as Toronto pounded out 16 hits to win for the ninth time in 13 games.
Yandy Díaz returned as the Rays' designated hitter after missing two games because of a sore right hamstring and hit a two-run homer.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3 for 4 with a walk and Cavan Biggio finished 2 for 4 with a walk and two RBIs for the hosts.
Another Witt milestone
Every batter Kansas City sent up against Carlos Rodón scored, resulting in a nine-run first inning, and Bobby Witt Jr. added a tworun homer to become the first Royals player in the 30-30 club in a 12-5 rout of the visiting New York Yankees.
Witt reached base three times and drove in three runs, and his homer in the seventh gave him 30 to go with 49 stolen bases. He needs one more steal to join Eric Davis, Barry Bonds and Ronald Acuña Jr. as the only players in the 30-50 club.
Austin Wells hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs for the Yankees.
Giants axe Kapler
The San Francisco Giants fired manager Gabe Kapler, the first managerial change of 2023 withthree days left in the season and the club eliminated from the playoffs.
San Francisco is 78-81 going into a season-ending series against the NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The 48-year-old Kapler had a 295-248 record over four seasons guiding the Giants, but his only year with a winning record was 2021, when San Francisco won a franchise-record 107 games and the NL West title.
The Giants lost in the NL Division series that year to the Dodgers, then regressed to 81-81 last year.
Marlins inch closer
Josh Bell's two-run double keyed a four-run, eighth-inning rally and the Miami Marlins moved closer to their first playoff berth since 2003 with a 4-3 win over Pirates in Pittsburgh.
The Marlins did little through seven innings but broke through against Colin Selby to reduce their magic number to earn the NL's third wild-card spot to two.
The Marlins didn't get into Pittsburgh until almost dawn on Friday morning following a long night in New York in which their game against the Mets was delayed for more than three hours with two outs in the top of the ninth before finally being suspended with the Marlins up 2-1.
They would love to avoid needing a return trip to Citi Field to wrap up the regular season. Their 10th victory when trailing after seven innings this season helped.
Cubs staring at abyss
The Chicago Cubs were pushed to the brink of playoff elimination by the NL Central champion Brewers, who won 4-3 in Milwaukee on Carlos Santana's run-scoring double in the 10th inning.
Chicago lost its fourth straight and fell 1½ games behind Miami for the NL's third and final wildcard spot. The Marlins hold the tiebreaker over the Cubs.
Chicago seemed well on its way to earning a playoff berth less than three weeks ago when it owned a 78-67 record, but the Cubs have gone 4-11 since.
Jeimer Candelario homered in the eighth and Ian Happ went deep in the ninth as Chicago rallied after trailing 3-0 through seven innings. But the Cubs couldn't close the deal.
Reds stay alive
Cincinnati hit six home runs including Nick Martini's three-run shot in the first inning in a 19-2 rout of the host St. Louis Cardinals that kept the Reds alive in the National League wild-card race.
Jonathan India, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Noelvi Marte and Tyler Stephenson also homered for the Reds, who remain tied with the Cubs 1½ games behind Miami for the last NL wild card.
Orioles to stay in city
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's office released a few details about the agreement with the Baltimore Orioles keeping the team in the city for at least 30 more years.
The Orioles made a surprise announcement about the deal at Camden Yards during Thursday night's game against Boston, not long before the team won and clinched the AL East title. The team's lease at Camden Yards was set to expire at the end of the year.
The agreement includes an option for two five-year extensions and a 99-year development rights agreement for areas surrounding the ballpark, including the famous warehouse and Camden Station. The Orioles will pay $94 million in rent over that 99-year term.
The deal also transfers operations and maintenance responsibilities for the ballpark from the Stadium Authority to the Orioles. The governor's office said the Stadium Authority is currently responsible for funding operations and maintenance work at Camden Yards, spending an average of $6.5 million a year above and beyond rent income.
Cabrera heads upstairs
Miguel Cabrera is still retiring Sunday after Detroit’s season finale, but he will have a job waiting for him Monday. The Tigers announced the 40-year-old slugger will become a special assistant to team president Scott Harris. In the opener of his final series against Cleveland, Cabrera had three hits, including two doubles, but the Guardians spoiled things with a
7-5 win . . . The Texas Rangers' potential playoff pitching staff took a hit after right-hander Jon Gray was placed on the 15-day injured list with a forearm strain . . . Charlie Blackmon and the Colorado Rockies agreed to a one-year contract for 2024 that prevents the outfielder from becoming a free agent. The 37-year-old is in the final season of a six-year contract guaranteeing $108 million . . . Major League Baseball will experiment with an 18-second pitch clock with runners on base at the Arizona Fall League, which starts Monday.