Braves clinch sixth straight NL East title

The Atlanta Braves clinched their sixth straight NL East title, beating the host Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 on Wednesday night behind Spencer Strider’s major league-leading 17th win and Austin Riley’s two-run homer.

Kirby Yates struck out Brandon Marsh to end the game and the players danced in a mob near the mound as Phillies fans booed them off the field.

“Congratulations Atlanta Braves 2023 NL East Champions” flashed on the scoreboard.

Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. responded to booing fans by raising both arms and signaling with his hands to bring it on.

Atlanta (96-50) clinched in 146 games, their secondquickest clinch in the divisional era. The division title was the Braves’ record 26th, two more than the Dodgers and New York Yankees,

Atlanta took special satisfaction in clinching on the same Citizens Bank Park field where the Phillies eliminated them last October in the NL Division Series. The Phillies won that series 3-1.

The Phillies lead the NL wild-card race and the teams could face each other in October.

METS 7, DIAMONDBACKS 1

Arizona ace Zac Gallen was hit hard in a damaging loss for the visiting Diamondbacks, and Pete Alonso drove in three runs and Mark Vientos had a two-run homer for New York.

Arizona (76-71) is in a tie for the final National League wild-card spot with Cincinnati, which won 4-3 at Detroit. San Francisco and Miami — both 75-71 — are close behind.

GIANTS 6, GUARDIANS 5, 10 INNINGS >>

Lamonte Wade Jr. hit a game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 10th inning and host San Francisco

rallied past Cleveland. Xzavion Curry (3-4) walked a pair to load the bases with no outs. Wade hit a fly ball to left and Patrick Bailey beat a strong throw from left fielder Steven Kwan, sliding under Bo Naylor’s tag at the plate. J.D. Davis tied the game in the eighth with a three-run homer.

CARDINALS 1, ORIOLES 0 Richie Palacios homered, rookie Drew Rom and four relievers combined on a three-hitter and visiting St. Louis beat Baltimore to trim the Orioles’ lead in the AL East to two games over Tampa Bay. Gunnar Henderson’s two-out triple off Ryan Helsley in the ninth inning gave the Orioles a chance to pull even, but Aaron Hicks popped out.

ROCKIES 7, CUBS 3 >> Kris Bryant went deep for the second straight gam and host Colorado beat Chicago. Nolan Jones and Elehuris Montero each hit a two-run homer in a four-run fifth, and Ryan Mcmahon for the Rockies, who took two of three from the playoff-contending Cubs (78-69), who sit in the second NL wild-card spot.

RAYS 5, TWINS 4 Randy Arozarena hit a tiebreaking home run for visiting Tampa Bay with two outs in the ninth inning, helping the Rays beat Minnesota heading into a weekend showdown with Baltimore. The AL Central-leading Twins (76-70) have a 7 1/2-game advantage on Cleveland.

SCHERZER OUT REST REGULAR SEASON >> Texas Rangers right-hander Max Scherzer will miss the rest of the regular season because of a strained muscle in his shoulder, the team announced. General manager Chris Young said it’s unlikely Scherzer would pitch in the postseason if Texas qualifies.

NATS EXTEND GM RIZZO >> The Washington Nationals announched they have signed general manager Mike Rizzo to a multiyear extension.