CHICAGO (AP) — Michael Busch homered twice and drove in four runs, and the Chicago Cubs clinched the top NL wild card with a 7-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki also connected for Chicago in its third win in four games. Jameson Taillon (11-7) pitched six effective innings.
The Cubs (91-70) will host San Diego in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 of the best-of-three series is on Tuesday.
It’s the first postseason appearance for Chicago since 2020.
Nolan Arenado and Jordan Walker homered for the Cardinals (78-83) in their third consecutive loss. Michael McGreevy (8-4) permitted three runs and six hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Busch drove McGreevy’s first pitch deep to right-center for his fifth career leadoff homer. He doubled in the third and connected for a tiebreaking two-run shot in the fifth for his team-leading 34th homer. He added a run-scoring triple in the seventh before he was walked intentionally in the eighth.
BLUE JAYS 5, RAYS 1
TORONTO (AP) — Trey Yesavage struck out five in five shutout innings for his first major league win, Alejandro Kirk homered and Toronto stayed atop the AL East heading into the final game of the season by beating Tampa Bay.
Toronto can clinch the division title and the best record in the AL by matching or beating the New York Yankees’ outcome against the Orioles in Sunday’s regular season finale.
The Blue Jays came into Saturday tied with the Yankees in the East. Toronto holds the tiebreaker after winning eight of 13 meetings.
New York’s meant the Blue Jays couldn’t clinch the AL East with a win. The Yankees have won seven straight and 10 of 11.
YANKEES 6, ORIOLES 1
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Ryan McMahon hit early home runs off Yomoyuki Sugano, and New York beat Baltimore to maintain at least a share of the AL East lead heading into the regular season’s final day.
New York (93-68) has won seven straight and 10 of 11, and is assured of at least a wild card. The Yankees began the day tied with Toronto, which hosted Tampa Bay later Saturday.
Cam Schlittler (4-3) struck out a career-high nine in seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball. The 24-year-old rookie right-hander had a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts.
by a 96.8 mph pitch from Grant Wolfram in the fifth. The Yankees said X-rays were negative and he will have a CT scan.
GIANTS 4, ROCKIES 3
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Justin Verlander struck out seven and walked one over six innings to win his final start in a challenging year, and San Francisco held off Colorado.
Casey Schmitt hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the second inning to support Verlander (4-11), who received 62 total runs of support in his 29 starts.
T a $15 million, one-year contract in January and wrapped up his 20th major league season with career start No. 555 — which ranks 27th all-time. He also tied Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 34th place on baseball’s career win list with 266.
Rafael Devers added a key RBI double in the eighth for insurance before Colorado’s Jordan Beck homered in the ninth off Ryan Walker. Walker then surrendered Brenton Doyle’s double and was done after walking Kyle Karros one out later.
Spencer Bivens entered and struck out Warming Bernabel, then plunked Ryan Ritter to load the bases. Third baseman Matt Chapman then made a tough catch in foul territory on Ezequiel Tovar’s popup to end it as Bivens earned his second save.
TIGERS 2, RED SOX 1 (AP) — Jamhai Jones hit a two-run single to rally Detroit from an early deficit, and the Tigers beat Boston to clinch a spot in the AL playoffs.
Less than 24 hours after the Red Sox , the Tigers claimed at least a wild card and eliminated the Houston Astros from the race. Detroit still could win the AL Central title but would need help from Cleveland, which played Texas on Saturday night.
Kyle Montero and four relievers held Boston to one run and seven hits. Tyler Holton (6-5) got four outs for the victory. Will Vest pitched the ninth for his 23rd save.
METS 5, MARLINS 0
MIAMI (AP) — Pete Alonso homered and drilled an RBI double, Clay Holmes combined with three relievers on a one-hitter, and New York beat Miami to push their playoff fate to the final day of the regular season.
The Mets (83-78) pulled a half-game ahead of Cincinnati (82-78) for the last National League wild card. The Reds were set to play at NL Central champion Milwaukee later Saturday.
Because the Reds hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, New York needs Cincinnati to lose at least one of its final two games against the Brewers to have a chance to reach the postseason.
Holmes (12-8) allowed one hit over six innings with three walks and a strikeout. Brooks Raley and Tyler Rogers each worked a perfect inning before Edwin Díaz got three outs to end it.
NATIONALS 6, WHITE SOX 5
WASHINGTON (AP) — James Wood hit a tiebreaking solo homer in Washington’s three-run seventh inning, and the Nationals beat Chicago.
Jacob Young and Daylen Lile also went deep for the Nationals, who had dropped eight of 11. Josh Bell had two hits and scored a run.
Colson Montgomery and Brooks Baldwin homered for the White Sox in a matchup of last-place teams. Derek Hill had two hits and drove in a run.
