Blue Jays become first in AL to clinch playoff spot, beat Royals 8-5

By Canadian Press on September 21, 2025.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Andres Gimenez drove in two runs apiece as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 8-5 Sunday and clinched a playoff berth.

Toronto is the first team in the American League to secure a spot in the playoffs, returning to the postseason for the first time since 2023, and improved its AL-best and AL East-leading record to 90-66.

The Blue Jays scored three runs in the second inning on run-scoring hits by Gimenez, Tyler Heineman and George Springer. Guerrero hit a two-run double in the fifth and Addison Barger followed with an RBI double to give Toronto a 6-2 lead.

After the Royals cut their deficit to 6-5, Ernie Clement and Gimenez had RBI hits in the eighth to extend Toronto’s lead to 8-5.

Toronto starter Trey Yesavage worked four innings, allowing four runs on five hits while walking three and striking out two. Seranthony Dominguez (4-4) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win, and Jeff Hoffman recorded his 32nd save of the season.

Carter Jensen had a two-run double in the fourth inning, Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez hit consecutive run-scoring singles in the fifth and Randal Grichuk picked up an RBI in the sixth to complete Kansas City’s scoring.

Michael Wacha (9-13) gave up six earned runs on eight hits in five innings with one walk and four strikeouts.

PIRATES 11, ATHLETICS 0

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jared Triolo and Joey Bart both had four hits including a home run, and Pittsburgh beat the Athletics.

Triolo hit his seventh homer, a two-run shot to left-center field off Mitch Spence with two outs in the second for a 4-0 lead. Bart hit his fourth with a three-run drive off Osvaldo Bido for a 10-0 lead in the fifth.

Andrew McCutchen had an RBI single and Nick Martinez doubled in a run to put the Pirates up 2-0 in the first.

Oneil Cruz had a two-run single and Triolo singled in a run for a 7-0 lead in the fourth. Triolo doubled off Scott McGough in the eighth and scored the final run on a groundout by Spencer Horwitz.

Rookie Mike Burrows started for the Pirates and allowed five hits in four innings. He left after throwing 43 of 67 pitches for strikes as the Pirates monitor his innings (94) in his comeback from Tommy John surgery.

CARDINALS 5, BREWERS 1

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Iván Herrera hit a two-run homer, José Fermín drove in three runs and St. Louis beat Milwaukee.

The Brewers still clinched the NL Central title, but they had to wait until the Chicago Cubs’ 1-0 loss at Cincinnati ended less than a half-hour later.

Matthew Liberatore (8-12) held Milwaukee’s lineup in check, striking out six in five innings while allowing just one run. Matt Svanson, Ryan Fernandez and Riley O’Brien combined for four scoreless innings of relief.

Herrera smashed a 419-foot home run over the left-field bullpen against Robert Gasser (0-1) in the third inning. Gasser was called up from Triple-A to make his season debut as the Brewers placed Brandon Woodruff on the injured list with a lat strain.

St. Louis recorded only three hits, but also drew seven walks.

BRAVES 6, TIGERS 2

DETROIT (AP) — Ha-Seong Kim homered and drove in two runs as Atlanta won its eighth straight game with a win over slumping Detroit.

The Tigers went 0-6 on their last homestand of the season, losing by a combined score of 36-14. They have lost nine of their last 10 as their lead in the American League Central has dropped to one game over the Cleveland Guardians.

Spencer Strider (7-13) pitched five scoreless innings, allowing six hits and three walks while striking out six. Six Atlanta relievers finished the game.

Casey Mize (14-6) gave up three runs on five hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.

The Braves scored a run in three straight innings — the third through fifth — and the Tigers couldn’t get the key hit they needed.

TWINS 6, GUARDIANS 2

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brooks Lee hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the sixth, pinch-hitter Royce Lewis had a three-run shot in the seventh and Minnesota ended Cleveland’s 10-game winning streak with a victory.

The Guardians lost for only the fourth time in 20 games and missed a chance to pull even with Detroit in the AL Central after the Braves finished off a sweep of the Tigers with a 6-2 victory. Cleveland will host Detroit for three games beginning Tuesday.

Minnesota, which never led and was outscored 20-2 in losing the first three games in the series, grabbed a 3-2 lead when Lee greeted reliever Matt Festa (5-4) with his 16th home run. Luke Keaschall reached base with a one-out double off Erik Sabrowski before Lee’s blast.

Tim Herrin left after allowing two-out singles to Kody Clemens and Austin Martin in the seventh and Lewis greeted Hunter Gaddis with his 13th homer for a four-run advantage.

Steven Kwan hit the third pitch from Simeon Woods Richardson for his 11th home run and Bo Naylor added a sacrifice fly to put the Guardians up 2-0. Naylor has an RBI in six straight games, the longest stretch by a Cleveland catcher since Victor Martinez had a seven-game run in 2007.

NATIONALS 3, METS 2

NEW YORK (AP) — Jacob Young made a pair of sensational catches in center field to prevent extra-base hits as Washington hung on and handed New York a costly defeat.

The Mets, who have lost 11 of 15 and are 35-52 since mid-June, dropped into a tie with the streaking Reds for the final National League wild card. Cincinnati, which beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0, holds the tiebreaker over New York.

With the Mets down 3-1, Brett Baty led off the fifth inning with a long fly to center against Jake Irvin (9-13). Young initially made a twisting, leaping catch, but lost the ball as he crashed into the wall. As the ball was falling toward the ground, a stumbling Young kicked it back up into the air — hacky-sack style — and gloved it a second time for a circus catch.

Young made an even more timely catch when he leaped and reached over the left-center fence to rob Francisco Alvarez of a tying homer leading off the ninth.

Francisco Lindor homered leading off the sixth for the Mets, but Mitchell Parker escaped a two-on, one-out jam. Making his first major league relief appearance after 59 starts, Parker threw the final 3 2/3 innings to earn the save in relief of Irvin, who entered 0-8 with a 9.00 ERA in his previous nine outings.

YANKEES 7, ORIOLES 1, 10 INNINGS

BALTIMORE (AP) — Ben Rice’s tiebreaking grand slam in the top of the 10th inning lifted New York to a victory over Baltimore, keeping the pressure on first-place Toronto in the AL East.

New York remained two games behind the Blue Jays — who won at Kansas City — thanks to Rice, who had four hits and drove in five runs. His shot to right-center in the 10th off Keegan Akin broke a 1-all tie. Jazz Chisholm Jr. added a solo homer and Anthony Volpe an RBI single before the inning was over.

Kade Strowd (0-1) took the loss after striking out the side in the ninth and walking Aaron Judge to start the 10th.

David Bednar (6-5), one of six relievers used by New York, got the win.

Samuel Basallo homered in the fifth for the Orioles, and Rice answered with an RBI single the following inning.

Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish allowed a run and two hits in six innings with nine strikeouts and two walks.

New York rookie Cam Schlittler permitted a run and three hits in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out six and walked one.

REDS 1, CUBS 0

CINCINNATI (AP) — Surging Cincinnati beat Chicago and moved into a tie with the New York Mets for the final wild card spot in the National League.

The Reds have won a season-high five straight games and six of seven. The Mets lost to the Nationals earlier in the day.

Sunday’s game was delayed one hour and 11 minutes by rain.

Matt McLain doubled and scored on Gavin Lux’s two-out double to right, putting the Reds ahead 1-0 in the third.

Lux collected two of the Reds’ five hits against Jameson Taillon (10-7) who pitched seven innings with no walks and four strikeouts.

Reds starter Andrew Abbott allowed five hits in 4 2/3 innings before the Reds turned to the bullpen. Nick Martinez (11-13) pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings. Graham Ashcraft allowed one hit in the eighth.

The Cubs had runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth against Tony Santillan who struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong for his 7th save of the season.

It’s the second time in the four-game series that the Reds won by a 1-0 score. Hunter Greene pitched a complete-game shutout in Thursday’s series opener.

ROCKIES 3, ANGELS 1

DENVER (AP) — Kyle Freeland pitched six solid innings, Blaine Crim homered and drove in two runs, and Colorado beat Los Angeles in their final home game of a miserable season.

Victor Vodnik got three outs for his 10th save as the Rockies improved to 43-113 with six games remaining, ensuring they won’t tie the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in one season by a National League team since 1900. Those expansion Mets finished 40-120-1.

Mike Trout doubled leading off the game after belting his 400th career home run Saturday night. He scored the only run for the Angels (70-86), who went 1-9 on their last road trip of the year.

Trout scored on Jo Adell’s single in the first but Freeland (5-16) was in control after that. He retired 13 of 14 batters before Taylor Ward’s leadoff single in the sixth. The left-hander issued his only walk one out later but ended his day by getting Logan O’Hoppe to ground into an inning-ending double play.

MARLINS 4, RANGERS 2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Otto Lopez got three hits, drove in a run and scored another as Miami won their sixth game in a row over Texas in a matchup of teams unlikely to make the playoffs but still mathematically alive with six games left.

Wyatt Langford hit his 22nd homer for Texas (79-77), whose seven-game losing streak is its longest this season. The Rangers were 5 1/2 games behind Houston for the final American League wild card before the Astros, who hold the tiebreaker over Texas, hosted AL West-leading Seattle on Sunday night.

Miami (76-80) went ahead to stay in the fourth when Lopez had an RBI double and scored on a single by Heriberto Hernández off Merrill Kelly (12-9). Back-to-back doubles by Jakob Marsee and Agustín Ramírez made it 3-0 in the fifth.

The Marlins were four games behind the New York Mets (80-76) and Cincinnati, who were tied for the last National League wild card.

PADRES 3, WHITE SOX 2

CHICAGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. homered and the San Diego Padres moved closer to a postseason berth with a win over Chicago.

The Padres can clinch a second straight NL playoff appearance as early as Monday when they open a three-game home series against Milwaukee.

San Diego starter Michael King (5-3) pitched five scoreless innings and All-Star Robert Suarez, the last of five relievers, worked the ninth and earned his 40th save.

The Padres tagged Sean Burke (4-11) for a pair of runs in the second inning as Jackson Merrill scored on an errant pickoff try and Gavin Sheets came home on Jake Cronenworth’s single.

Tatis hit his 23rd home run an inning later. Burke gave up two earned runs on six hits while striking out four.

DIAMONDBACKS 9, PHILLIES 2

PHOENIX (AP) — Corbin Carroll homered and had four RBIs, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched six scoreless innings and Arizona moved within a game of the final National League wild-card spot with a win over Philadelphia.

Carroll drove in a run in the first inning against Ranger Suárez (12-7) and hit a three-run homer in the second. He also stole second in the sixth to become the first Arizona player with 30 homers (31) and 30 stolen bases (30) in a season.

Rodriguez (9-8) scattered six hits and struck out five with three walks. Jorge Barrosa hit his first big league homer and Tim Tawa added another solo shot.

The Diamondbacks have won six of eight to enter the final week of the regular season in the thick of the wild-card race. Cincinnati beat the Chicago Cubs on Sunday and moved into a tie with the struggling New York Mets for the last NL playoff berth.

GIANTS 3, DODGERS 1

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Pinch-hitter Patrick Bailey had a tying RBI double during San Francisco’s three-run rally in the eighth, and the Giants battered Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen to avoid a four-game series sweep with a victory over Los Angeles.

The struggling Treinen (1-7) dramatically blew a 1-0 lead in the eighth, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks while facing only seven batters. Incredibly, Treinen took his fifth loss in his last seven appearances despite pitching just 5 1/3 innings in that stretch.

The 37-year-old Treinen was a big contributor to the Dodgers’ championship run last season, but his latest in a series of disastrous outings ballooned his ERA to 5.55. Los Angeles’ entire bullpen has largely struggled for weeks, playing a major role in the defending World Series champions’ inability to avoid a wild-card playoff series.

Treinen wasted seven stellar innings of one-hit ball by Emmet Sheehan for the Dodgers, whose four-game winning streak ended. With San Diego’s win over the White Sox, Los Angeles’ magic number stayed at 3 for clinching its 12th NL West title in 13 seasons.

The Associated Press