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Tag: Professional baseball

  • Ex-Angels employee gets 22 years in Skaggs overdose death

    Ex-Angels employee gets 22 years in Skaggs overdose death

    FORT WORTH, Texas — A former Los Angeles Angels employee was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison Tuesday for providing Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs the drugs that led to his overdose death in Texas.

    Eric Kay, dressed in an orange jumpsuit with handcuffs and leg shackles, didn’t react when U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means read his sentence. Kay faced at least 20 years in prison on one of the two counts.

    There was no reaction from Skaggs’ widow and mother or members of Kay’s family, including one of his sons who read a statement on his behalf before sentencing. A bailiff had warned observers they would be removed from the court over any outbursts.

    Prosecutors presented evidence of Kay, 48, making derogatory comments about Skaggs, his family, prosecutors and jurors in phone calls and emails after he was convicted in February.

    There was emotional testimony from both sides in federal court in Fort Worth, about 15 miles from where the Angels were supposed to open a four-game series against the Texas Rangers on July 1, 2019, the day Skaggs was found dead in a suburban Dallas hotel room.

    Kay was convicted on one count each of drug distribution resulting in death and drug conspiracy. Means recommended Kay serve his time in his home state of California. He has been in prison in Fort Worth since the conviction.

    A coroner’s report said Skaggs, 27, had choked to death on his vomit and that a toxic mix of alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone was in his system.

    The trial included testimony from five major league players who said they received oxycodone pills from Kay at various times from 2017-19, the years Kay was accused of obtaining pills and giving them to players at Angel Stadium. Kay also used drugs himself, according to testimony and court documents.

    After revealing the sentence, Means said he dreaded this day from the beginning of the case because the 20-year minimum could be considered too harsh for the crime.

    Means said he added two years because of Kay’s comments to his family in jailhouse conversations after the conviction.

    The judge interrupted Kay to quote the former public relations employee as saying in one of those exchanges, “I’m here because of Tyler Skaggs. Well, he’s dead. So (expletive) him.”

    “That’s disgusting,” Kay responded. “I don’t know why I said that. I was mad at the world.”

    Means appeared skeptical, even saying at one point after delivering the sentence that he would probably become a target of Kay’s anger.

    The judge said Kay displayed “a callousness and refusal to accept responsibility and even be remorseful for something that you caused.”

    “Tyler Skaggs wasn’t a perfect person,” the judge said. “But he paid the ultimate price for it.”

    Kay sobbed while one of his three sons spoke to the judge from the lectern in a plea for leniency. Carli Skaggs, the widow, fought back tears much the same way she did when she testified during the trial.

    “Not only am I grieving the loss of my husband,” she said. “I’m grieving the loss of myself.”

    Defense attorney Cody Cofer, who took over after Kay’s two trial lawyers were removed, sought a motion that would have allowed Means to consider a sentence below the 20-year minimum. It was denied.

    “We are very grateful to everyone who worked so hard to investigate and prosecute Eric Kay,” the Skaggs family said in a statement. “Today’s sentencing isn’t about the number of years the defendant received. The real issue in this case is holding accountable the people who are distributing the deadly drug fentanyl.”

    Kay served as the team’s public relations contact on many road trips, and the trip to Texas was his first since returning from rehab. Kay was placed on leave shortly after Skaggs’ death and never returned to the team. He didn’t testify during his trial.

    The government argued at trial that Kay was the only one who could have given Skaggs the drugs that led to his death, that the delivery was in Texas and that fentanyl was the cause of death. Prosecutors say Kay gave Skaggs counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl.

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  • Dominant Dodgers, hot Padres bring SoCal rivalry to NLDS

    Dominant Dodgers, hot Padres bring SoCal rivalry to NLDS

    LOS ANGELES — The San Diego Padres knocked off the 101-win New York Mets in the National League wild-card series.

    Awaiting them in the NL Division Series is an even bigger challenge: the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers.

    “They’re hot and we’ve been hot for seven months,” a smiling — or was it smirking? — Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman said Monday.

    Call it a postseason Freeway Series.

    “It’s going to be a very intense series,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

    Unlike the regular season.

    The Southern California rivals were separated by a whopping 22 games in the NL West, with the Dodgers controlling first place for much of the time and the Padres finishing second.

    “They handed it to us pretty good this year, so we realize what we’re up against,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “It feels a little bit better now that we’re not looking at the standings.”

    That’s not the only way in which the Dodgers dominated the Padres. Los Angeles went 15-4 against them, never lost a series and outscored them 109-47.

    As a result, the Dodgers are solid favorites coming into the best-of-five NLDS that begins Tuesday night in Los Angeles. In Game 1, right-hander Mike Clevinger takes the mound for the Padres against left-hander Julio Urías, a 17-game winner for the Dodgers.

    Right-hander Yu Darvish, a 16-game winner, starts for the Padres in Game 2 on Wednesday against left-hander Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ three-time Cy Young Award winner.

    The Dodgers are well-rested, having been been off since closing out the regular season a week ago. While the Padres flew cross-country to outscore the Mets 16-8 in winning the wild-card series in three games, the Dodgers played simulated games in their empty stadium.

    They gathered at a high-end steakhouse on Sunday night for a team dinner with the decisive Padres-Mets game on in the background. Watching Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove getting his ears checked for illegal substances by the umpire, “it got a little louder in the room,” Freeman said.

    BOLSTERING THE RANKS

    San Diego got better at the trade deadline by adding closer Josh Hader and two-time All-Star Juan Soto, who was a teammate of current Dodger Trea Turner on the Washington Nationals.

    Hader closed out Game 3 against the Mets and Soto went 2 for 4 with two RBIs in the clincher.

    The Dodgers signed Freeman in March, adding offensive punch to an already potent lineup. Freeman hit .325 and finished .001 points behind the Mets’ Jeff McNeil for the NL batting title.

    ALMOST LIKE HOME

    The last time the Padres were in the playoffs in a full season in front of fans in 2006, Roberts was their leadoff hitter and left fielder. He’ll be able to sleep in his own bed during the NLDS since he lives in the San Diego area.

    BUEHLER’S NIGHT OUT

    Walker Buehler will be on the mound for Game 2 on Wednesday — to toss out the ceremonial first pitch. The two-time All-Star who helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series had his second career Tommy John surgery in August. He’s not expected back until the 2024 season. Buehler was 6-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 12 starts this season before having surgery.

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  • Musgrove pitches hometown Padres past Mets 6-0 and into NLDS

    Musgrove pitches hometown Padres past Mets 6-0 and into NLDS

    NEW YORK — Joe Musgrove brushed off chants of “Cheater!” after a bizarre spot check by umpires on the mound, pitching his hometown San Diego Padres into the next round of the playoffs Sunday night with seven innings of one-hit ball in a 6-0 victory over the New York Mets.

    Trent Grisham hit an RBI single and made a terrific catch in center field that helped the Padres take the best-of-three National League wild-card series 2-1. Austin Nola and Juan Soto each had a two-run single.

    San Diego advanced to face the top-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-five Division Series beginning Tuesday — ensuring the Padres will play in front of their home fans in the postseason for the first time in 16 years when they return to Petco Park for Game 3.

    “We know that. We would love for them to be able to see some postseason games,” manager Bob Melvin said Sunday afternoon. “To an extent, we feel like they’re a part of us.”

    It was the fifth time the Padres have won a playoff series. They took a first-round matchup against St. Louis in their own ballpark with no fans permitted after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before being swept in the Division Series by the eventual World Series champion Dodgers.

    For the Mets, a scintillating season ended with a whimper at home in front of empty seats. Baseball’s biggest spenders won 101 games — the second-most in franchise history — but were unable to hold off Atlanta in the NL East after sitting atop the division for all but six days.

    New York was up by 10 1/2 games on June 1 and seven on Aug. 10 before finally ceding control last weekend. The defending World Series champions snatched away their fifth consecutive division title and a first-round playoff bye on the strength of a head-to-head sweep in Atlanta — and the Mets never fully recovered.

    New York ace Max Scherzer got rocked in a Game 1 loss to San Diego and, after the Mets won Game 2 behind Jacob deGrom to stave off elimination, they mustered almost nothing against Musgrove and finished with one hit in the loss.

    No. 3 starter Chris Bassitt lasted just four innings, giving up three runs and three hits with three costly walks to batters near the bottom of the order.

    Pete Alonso’s leadoff single in the fifth and Starling Marte’s walk to start the seventh were the only baserunners permitted by Musgrove in his first postseason start.

    Robert Suarez and Josh Hader finished up for the Padres.

    Musgrove grew up a Padres fan in the San Diego suburbs and pitched the franchise’s first no-hitter last year in his second start with the team.

    He was working on a one-hitter and warming up for the sixth inning Sunday when Mets manager Buck Showalter came out of the dugout and spoke to first base umpire Alfonso Marquez.

    All six umps huddled and then went to the mound as Marquez, the crew chief, felt Musgrove’s glove, cap — even his ears — apparently searching for any illegal sticky substances.

    The spin rate was up on all six of Musgrove’s pitches. Umpires let him continue, and he worked a 1-2-3 sixth.

    Fans yelled “Cheater!” at Musgrove, a member of the 2017 Houston Astros World Series champions that were found by Major League Baseball to have stolen signs illegally to help their hitters.

    The Astros’ cheating scandal rocked the sport. Musgrove has said he feels uncomfortable wearing his championship ring and wants “one that feels earned” with the Padres.

    “I guarantee Musgrove has Red Hot on his ears,” Milwaukee outfielder Andrew McCutchen tweeted. “Pitchers use it as mechanism to stay locked in during games. It burns like crazy and IDK why some guys thinks it helps them but in no way is it `sticky.′ Buck is smart tho. Could be trying to just throw him off.”

    THINKING OF MR. PADRE

    During batting practice, San Diego second baseman Jake Cronenworth wore an old-school Tony Gwynn No. 19 uniform T-shirt, a giveaway at Petco Park one day this season.

    “We all got ‘em,” Cronenworth said. “Usually a lot of us wear ’em, but I think everybody’s wearing hoodies today.”

    Cronenworth, however, figured this was a day to salute the late Padres Hall of Famer.

    “It was just in my locker and I brought it with me for a reason, so I decided I’d wear it,” he said. “Tony was one of the best, so give us some support from up above.”

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Mets: Francisco Lindor was shaken up after fouling a ball off the inside of his right knee in the fourth. As the star shortstop was checked by an athletic trainer, manager Buck Showalter strolled to the plate, picked up Lindor’s bat and handed it back to him. Lindor stayed in the game and struck out.

    UP NEXT

    San Diego went 5-14 against the first-place Dodgers this season and finished 22 games behind them in the NL West.

    New York begins its spring training schedule next year with split-squad games Feb. 25 against Miami and Houston. The regular-season opener is March 30 at Miami.

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  • Boosted by Judge, Yankees’ YES Network viewers increase 27%

    Boosted by Judge, Yankees’ YES Network viewers increase 27%

    Boosted by Aaron Judge’s pursuit of Roger Maris’ American League home run record, Yankees games on the team’s YES Network averaged 368,000 viewers in the New York market this year, up 27% from 2021 and the most in 11 seasons

    NEW YORK — Boosted by Aaron Judge’s pursuit of Roger Maris’ American League home run record, Yankees games on the team’s YES Network averaged 368,000 viewers in the New York market this year, up 27% from 2021 and the most in 11 seasons.

    The network said Thursday the figure was for 126 telecasts. YES’s 2021 average was 290,000 for 128 telecasts.

    YES averaged 412,000 in 2011.

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  • Buck’s back: Showalter gets another October shot with Mets

    Buck’s back: Showalter gets another October shot with Mets

    NEW YORK — The last time Buck Showalter managed a playoff game, he ended up on the hot seat after an agonizing loss for Baltimore.

    Six years later, a shot at redemption begins Friday with the New York Mets.

    The popular Showalter takes his fourth franchise to the postseason this weekend when the Mets host San Diego in their best-of-three wild card series. The veteran skipper has spent more than two decades pacing major league dugouts and is still seeking his first World Series appearance.

    “He’s got that chance — and that’s really what you come back for,” said former teammate Don Mattingly, who just stepped down as manager of the Miami Marlins.

    Showalter had baseball’s best closer with the Orioles in 2016, but didn’t bring Zack Britton into their wild card loss at Toronto. Waiting for a save opportunity that never developed, Britton was left in the bullpen watching helplessly as Ubaldo Jiménez gave up a three-run homer to Edwin Encarnación in the 11th inning that eliminated Baltimore.

    A well-respected Showalter was roundly skewered by fans, writers and commentators. He guided the Orioles through two miserable seasons that followed, then spent three on the sidelines doing television work.

    Now, he’s back on the bench in October after winning a career-high 101 games in his first year leading the Mets. He joins Yogi Berra as the only managers to take the Yankees and Mets to the playoffs.

    “I’d like to say that I’ve evolved with what the players need,” Showalter said. “You roll up your sleeves and see what they need you to bring, and you try to bring it.”

    The only other managers to reach the playoffs with four organizations are Billy Martin, Davey Johnson and Dusty Baker (five teams). The 66-year-old Showalter, however, is the lone member of that quartet without a pennant.

    And his postseason history is a painful pattern of what might have been.

    A whiz kid across town, Showalter was just 38 in 1994 when players went on strike that August. At the time, his New York Yankees held the best record in the American League — but they were denied a chance to chase a ring when Major League Baseball later canceled the postseason.

    The next year, he piloted the Yankees to their first playoff berth in 14 years. But they blew a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Division Series with three straight losses in Seattle, dropping the decisive Game 5 in 11 innings on a two-run double by Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez.

    Late owner George Steinbrenner wanted to fire several coaches, and when Showalter wouldn’t swallow that, he was gone, too.

    Joe Torre replaced him and managed the Yankees to their most recent dynasty on his way to the Hall of Fame, winning the 1996 World Series and three straight from 1998-2000 with several core players Showalter helped to groom.

    “I think he’s pretty perceptive,” Mets reliever Trevor May said. “He knows a lot about guys before he even manages them.”

    After leaving the Yankees, Showalter hooked on with expansion Arizona and called plenty of shots as the entire organization started from scratch.

    In their second season, he managed the Diamondbacks to 100 wins and the 1999 NL West title before losing to the Mets in the playoffs on a series-ending homer in the 10th inning by backup catcher Todd Pratt, subbing for injured Hall of Famer Mike Piazza.

    Two years later, Arizona won the World Series under Bob Brenly, beating the Yankees in a seven-game classic.

    Showalter and the Orioles pushed the Yankees to Game 5 in a 2012 Division Series, then won the AL East in 2014 at 96-66 to earn him the third of his three AL Manager of the Year awards in a 20-year span.

    But the Orioles ran into a red-hot Kansas City Royals squad that swept Baltimore in his only League Championship Series appearance.

    Then came the Britton episode in 2016 — also the last year the Mets made the playoffs before Showalter arrived.

    “Guys love playing for him,” big league batting champion Jeff McNeil said. “Definitely want to win one for him.”

    In an interesting bit of symmetry, Showalter again has arguably the most dominant closer in baseball this season in right-hander Edwin Díaz.

    But those 101 wins — second-most in franchise history — only earned the Mets (101-61) the top National League wild card. A division crown slipped away when they were swept last weekend at Atlanta, which came from 10 1/2 games back on June 1 and seven behind on Aug. 10 to win its fifth straight NL East championship.

    So now, Showalter must quickly get his team refocused for a playoff run after the disappointment of leading the division for all but six days this season and still coming up short of a first-round bye.

    Meticulous by nature with a never-ending thirst for information, Showalter ranks 19th in career wins with 1,652 over 21 seasons on the bench with five teams, including Texas. He became the first Mets manager to win 100 games in his debut with the club.

    “He had a long layoff, so he probably thought a lot about if he came back, what he was going to change,” reliever Adam Ottavino said. “Seems to me like he’s keeping it pretty simple, and that works well when you have an older group or a good group.”

    Perched on the dugout railing, jotting down thoughts in his little black notebook while players reach for tablets nearby to scroll through game video, Showalter has brought a steady hand and wealth of experience to the Mets, helping to instill maturity and professionalism on a team that never lost more than three in a row this year.

    “It’s still about relationships,” he said. “It’s about the players. It’s always about the players, and trying to bring what they need. And every situation’s different. You don’t ask them to adjust to you, you adjust to what their needs are. That’s always been the same.”

    Off the field, Showalter likes to crack jokes with reporters and enjoys examining the nuances of baseball, whether it be an obscure rule or the proper way for a right-handed first baseman to guard the line late in a game.

    Ask him a question, he might expound on something completely off topic that was weighing on his mind.

    What makes him uncomfortable, though? Talking about his own success and quest for a championship.

    “I think he’s content, whether we win it, lose it (or if) he ever gets it,” Ottavino said. “But I think at the same time, if he does get it, I think you’ll find out then what it meant to him.”

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    AP freelance writer Jerry Beach contributed to this story.

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  • Fan who caught Aaron Judge’s 62nd HR offered $2M for ball

    Fan who caught Aaron Judge’s 62nd HR offered $2M for ball

    The owner of a sports memorabilia auction house says he has offered $2 million to the fan who caught Aaron Judge’s American League-record 62nd home run.

    JP Cohen, president of Memory Lane Inc. in Tustin, California, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he has texted and emailed Cory Youmans, the man who caught Judge’s milestone shot Tuesday night at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Cohen says Youmans has not yet replied.

    “I feel the offer is way above fair, if he is inclined to sell it,” Cohen said in a telephone interview with the AP on Wednesday.

    Youmans grabbed the historic souvenir on the fly as it sailed into the front row of section 31 in left field. The homer pushed Judge past Roger Maris for the AL season record — a mark many consider baseball’s “clean” standard because the only National League players who hit more have been tarnished by ties to steroids.

    Youmans, who is from Dallas, works in the financial world. He was asked Tuesday what he planned to do with the prize while security personnel whisked him away to have it authenticated.

    “Good question. I haven’t thought about it,” he said.

    The record price for a home run ball is $3 million, paid for Mark McGwire’s record 70th from the 1998 season.

    Cohen had previously pledged to offer $2 million for Judge’s 62nd homer. He said his company has a good relationship with the Yankees and it would be willing to loan the ball to the team for an exhibit. He added the team has frequently exhibited items owned by Memory Lane at Yankee Stadium.

    “We did make an offer of $2 million and that offer is still valid,” Cohen said.

    After the Yankees lost 3-2, Judge said he didn’t have possession of the home run ball.

    “I don’t know where it’s at,” he said. “We’ll see what happens with that. It would be great to get it back, but that’s a souvenir for a fan. He made a great catch out there, and they’ve got every right to it.”

    Youmans was among the crowd of 38,832, the largest to watch a baseball game at the 3-year-old ballpark.

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  • Yankees lose finale in Texas without Judge, end with 99 Ws

    Yankees lose finale in Texas without Judge, end with 99 Ws

    ARLINGTON, Texas — The New York Yankees settled for 99 wins in the regular season, and the American League record 62 home runs for slugger Aaron Judge.

    Their focus has already shifted to trying to win their 28th World Series title, and first since 2009.

    “This is the fun part of the year,” Judge said.

    Judge was out of the lineup a day after hitting his American League record 62nd homer, and the Yankees lost their regular-season finale 4-2 against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday to finish with 99 wins. At the beginning of July, New York was on pace for 118 wins, four more than the franchise record set in 1998.

    “AL East champs. I mean, that’s what we hope for in the regular season. You know, we put ourselves in a good spot now. So I guess first mission accomplished in that regard,” manager Aaron Boone said. “There’s some satisfaction in that. But, you know, our group … we want to win it all. And that’s what we’re focused on now.”

    Jose Trevino homered for the AL East champion Yankees (99-63), who missed a chance to reach 100 wins for the 22nd time and give the major leagues five 100-win teams for the first time. They get an extended break before opening the AL Division Series at home on Tuesday.

    While Judge made his case to play in the regular-season finale, Boone insisted on a break for after the slugger played 55 consecutive games, and 157 overall, in the pursuit of Roger Maris’ single-season home run mark that had stood since 1961.

    Fans in the crowd of 28,056 chanted “We Want Judge! We Want Judge!” in the ninth inning, hoping to get to see him get a shot at one more homer.

    “Not today. He got plenty of them all year,” Boone said. “Hopefully, we’ve got a lot left now in the postseason.”

    Judge finished with a .311 batting average, second in the AL behind the .316 of Minnesota’s Luis Arraez. Judge led the other Triple Crown categories with 62 homers and 131 RBIs.

    Charlie Culberson and Jonah Heim homered for the Rangers (68-94), who wrapped up their sixth consecutive losing season. Texas was 17-31 after interim manager Tony Beasley took over Aug. 15, when fourth-year manager Chris Woodward was fired and two days before president of baseball operations and longtime general manager Jon Daniels was also let go.

    Texas had lost seven games in a row before its 3-2 win in the second game of a doubleheader Tuesday night.

    “It is good to be able to end on a winning note. Really we played a good series,” Beasley said. “ That was good for the guys to come out, compete until the end and not quit and not give up. … That’s a testament to the guys in that clubhouse and the character in the clubhouse and what they’re made out of. So those are positive signs of moving forward.”

    Rangers rookie Glenn Otto (7-10) struck out five and walked two while allowing two runs and four hits over six innings. Matt Moore, the third Texas reliever, worked the ninth for his fifth save in six chances.

    New York starter Domingo Germán (2-5) gave up four runs over 4 1/3 innings, ending his career-best streak of 12 consecutive starts allowing three earned runs or fewer.

    Trevino’s solo homer in the fourth inning, his 11th overall but first in 40 games, put the Yankees up 2-1. Texas got even on Heim’s 16th homer in the bottom half, then went ahead in the fifth when Bubba Thompson had an RBI double and scored on Marcus Semien’s single.

    Veteran utility player Culberson, who played for only the third time in the past 32 games, hit his second homer in the third.

    SEATS

    A crowd of 28,056, a day after only the third home sellout, left attendance at 2,011,361 their 13th straight full season of 2 million or more. They drew 2,132,994 in 2019, the final season of their old ballpark.

    SHORT HOPS

    Rangers 1B Nathaniel Lowe singled and walked to finish the season batting .302, the team’s first qualifier to hit .300 since Elvis Andrus and Adrian Beltre both did in 2016. Lowe had 93 hits after the All-Star break. … The game broadcast Tuesday night on the Yankees’ YES Network averaged 636,000 viewers and peaked at 933,000 for the 8:15-8:30 p.m. EDT quarter hour, just after Judge’s 62nd homer. The Yankees are averaging 371,000 viewers on YES, their highest since 2011. … The Yankees had a plus-240 run differential, only the second time since 1955 it was that high. The other was plus-309 in 1998.

    POSTGAME CELEBRATION

    Boone said the entire team got together after Tuesday night’s game to celebrate Judge’s 61st homer and Gerrit Cole’s 257 strikeouts that broke Ron Guidry’s franchise single-season record set in 1978, when he was 25-3 and won the AL Cy Young Award.

    “Those two records to fall in probably 5, 7 minutes was crazy. It’s unbelievable,” said Boone, adding that the celebration included Guidry calling in to congratulate Cole, with the entire team able to hear and share in that.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Yankees: 2B Gleyber Torres missed the entire four-game series after being a late scratch from the starting lineup Monday for flu-like symptoms. Boone said Torres was feeling better and had no fever, but still was dealing with a sore throat and body aches. A COVID test came back negative.

    UP NEXT

    The Yankees host play Cleveland or Tampa Bay in the ALDS. The Rangers will have a managerial search, and their next game is the 2023 season opener March 30 at home against Philadelphia.

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  • Judge out of Yankees starting lineup for finale after No. 62

    Judge out of Yankees starting lineup for finale after No. 62

    ARLINGTON, Texas — Yankees slugger Aaron Judge isn’t in the starting lineup for New York’s regular-season finale Wednesday, a day after his 62nd home run that broke Roger Maris’ 61-year-old American League single-season record.

    When Judge homered in the first inning Tuesday night, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Texas Rangers, it was his 55th consecutive game. He has played in 157 games overall for the AL East champions.

    With the first-round bye in the playoffs, the Yankees won’t opening postseason play until the AL Division Series starts next Tuesday.

    Even though Judge had indicated that he hoped to play Wednesday, manager Aaron Boone said after Tuesday night’s game that they would have a conversation “and see what makes the most sense.”

    Judge went into the final day of the regular season batting .311, trailing AL batting average leader Minnesota’s Luis Arraez, who was hitting .315. Judge was a wide leader in the other Triple Crown categories, with his 62 homers and 131 RBIs.

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  • Fan who caught Judge’s 62nd HR unsure what he’ll do with it

    Fan who caught Judge’s 62nd HR unsure what he’ll do with it

    ARLINGTON, Texas — As he walked through a concourse in the outfield at Globe Life Field, high-fiving with fans and surrounded by a sea of cameras, it was almost as if Cory Youmans had hit a huge home run.

    Instead, he hit the jackpot.

    Youmans made the catch of a lifetime Tuesday night, snagging the ball New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge launched for his American League-record 62nd homer.

    The historic souvenir came sailing into the front row of section 31 in left field, a drive Judge hit to lead off the second game of a day-night doubleheader against the Texas Rangers. Youmans snared it on the fly.

    Youmans, from Dallas, works in the financial world and there’s no telling yet what the ball could be worth. With security personnel around him as he took the ball to be authenticated, he was asked what he planned to do with the prize.

    “Good question. I haven’t thought about it,” he said.

    After the Yankees lost 3-2, Judge said he didn’t have possession of the home-run ball.

    “I don’t know where it’s at,” he said. “We’ll see what happens with that. It would be great to get it back, but that’s a souvenir for a fan. He made a great catch out there, and they’ve got every right to it.”

    Soon after a local TV station posted a brief interview with Youmans in a walkway, Bri Amaranthus tweeted: “THIS IS MY HUSBAND.”

    Amaranthus works in local media and is an alum of ABC’s “The Bachelor.”

    Youmans was among the crowd of 38,832, the largest to watch a baseball game at the 3-year-old ballpark.

    Many fans came clad in Yankees caps, T-shirts and pinstripe jerseys.

    Some came to watch Judge make history. Some came just for the history. Some traveled a long way.

    The latter two categories included Jimmy Bennicaso of Norwalk, Connecticut.

    “I’m a Met fan, actually,” Bennicaso confessed. “Cowboy and Met fan — a rough combo.”

    Bennicaso was home in Connecticut on Monday night having watched Judge fail to homer in the first of four games against the Rangers in three days. He ran an idea past his girlfriend — what if he headed to Texas to take in Judge’s chase in person?

    “She said, ‘Yeah, go for it,’” he said.

    Bennicaso caught a morning flight to Texas. Being self-employed in real estate investments helped, he said.

    Bennicaso stationed himself in the lower deck of the right-field stands in hopes of grabbing an opposite-field homer, certainly a possibility given Judge’s spray chart.

    Instead, Judge pulled a home run that broke the AL record set by Roger Maris in 1961.

    Empty-handed, Bennicaso planned to return home Wednesday morning.

    “It was worth it,” he said. “I gave it my best shot.”

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  • Rockies beat Dodgers 5-2 after Urias departs in last start

    Rockies beat Dodgers 5-2 after Urias departs in last start

    LOS ANGELES — Julio Urias made his final tune-up for the postseason and case for the Cy Young Award a solid one, though the Colorado Rockies went ahead after he left and beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-2 on Tuesday night.

    Urias pitched five innings and allowed two runs — both on solo homers. He will finish the season as the National League’s ERA leader at 2.16 with a 17-7 record.

    “It’s incredible,” Urias said through an interpreter about winning the title. “Last year to win 20 games and this year to focus and win that ERA title, it’s something really special.”

    Randal Grichuk hit a tiebreaking two-run homer, his 19th, off Andrew Heaney (4-4) in the seventh inning.

    Clayton Kershaw pitches the final regular season game Wednesday. The Dodgers have a bye and will be off until the NLDS begins Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers will play the winner of the New York Mets-San Diego Padres wild-card round.

    A decision on whether Kershaw or Urias is starting Game 1 or 2 has not been made yet, according to manager Dave Roberts.

    The Dodgers were held to just five hits and have lost three straight to the Rockies. The Dodgers clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs a while ago.

    “I’m not worried,” Roberts said of the recent offensive struggles. “I don’t think it’s worrisome. I think there’s a part of some human nature where there’s a little edge that’s not there given the circumstances. Our guys, the ones that aren’t feeling well, there’s guys in the cage right now trying to work on some things. It’s not for lack of effort. We’ll be ready. We’ll be ready when it counts.”

    The Rockies, who have 93 losses, earned at least a split in the six-game series.

    Daniel Bard pitched a scoreless ninth and earned his 34th save.

    “It’s bittersweet for a lot of teams who aren’t in the playoffs,” manager Bud Black said. “We had higher hopes this year for sure. It’s a little tougher for those teams that had expectations. I’ve been at this a long time. We have some young guys just starting. (Wednesday) will be emotional in a couple different ways. You learn to quickly turn to next year, turn to the offseason and start looking forward with a season of hope.”

    Brendan Rodgers homered for the Rockies, hitting his 13th of the season to give Colorado a 1-0 lead. Sean Bouchard also homered off Urias, a solo shot in the third inning to make it 2-0. Bouchard has six hits over the last three games.

    Joey Gallo hit a pinch-hit solo home run in the fifth to tie the game at 2. It was his 19th homer of the season.

    Urias threw 83 pitches, including 22 to get out of the first, and held the Rockies to four hits.

    Urias wouldn’t campaign for himself for the Cy Young Award, preferring to keep the focus on the team.

    “Like I’ve said before, that’s out of my control,” Urias said. “My job is to go out there and do what I can to perform and to put the numbers that I put up. Whatever commentary is left over, that’s for everyone to pick and choose what they want to talk about. For me, it’s doing my job. I feel I’ve been doing my job every fifth day.

    “The focus is now on the postseason and doing my job for the postseason and trying to get another championship for the city of L.A. and finish it off, especially with all the criticism that goes along with that 2020 season. We want to finish off strong.”

    Ryan Feltner (4-9) earned the win after he pitched six innings and allowed two runs on four hits in his final start of the season. He struck out four and walked two.

    OH, DRONE

    The game was delayed for about 10 minutes because of a drone flying over the stadium. Players went to their respective dugouts when umpires cleared the field and play resumed without further delay. There was a delay during a game at Dodger Stadium in 2020 as well because of a drone.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Rockies: RHP Chad Kuhl (right triceps strain) was placed on the 15-day injured list and RHP Noah Davis was recalled from the taxi squad.

    Dodgers: OF Chris Taylor (neck) will start doing baseball activities on Wednesday. Dave Roberts said this weekend will be “pivotal” for him to see if he can be ready for the NLDS.

    UP NEXT

    Rockies: LHP Austin Gomber (5-7, 5.62) will try to make his case to be back in the Rockies rotation again in 2023 after being demoted to the bullpen this season. In 10 2/3 innings in September, he allowed seven earned runs and struck out seven.

    Dodgers: LHP Kershaw (11-3, 2.30 ERA) will make an abbreviated start in the regular season finale. Kershaw has won his last four starts and allowed just six earned runs over six starts in September.

    ———

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  • Yankees star Judge hits 62nd homer to break Maris’ AL record

    Yankees star Judge hits 62nd homer to break Maris’ AL record

    ARLINGTON, Texas — Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the season Tuesday night, breaking Roger Maris’ American League record and setting what some fans consider baseball’s “clean” standard.

    The long chase to top a mark set in 1961 ended when the 30-year-old Yankees slugger drove a 1-1 slider from Texas right-hander Jesús Tinoco into the first row of seats in left field leading off the second game of New York’s day-night doubleheader.

    After No. 99 took a smooth, mighty swing, he had a wide smile on his face as he rounded the bases and his Yankees teammates streamed out of the dugout to celebrate with him. They stayed away from home plate, letting Judge step on it before sharing hugs and high-fives.

    Barry Bonds holds the major league record of 73 home runs, set with the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

    Judge’s mother and father were in the stands to see him end a five-game homerless streak, including Game 1 of the doubleheader when he was 1 for 5 with a single.

    The ball was caught by Cory Youmans of Dallas, who was sitting in Section 31. When asked what he was going to do with the ball while being taken away with security to have the ball authenticated, Youmans responded, “Good question. I haven’t thought about it.”

    Another fan was escorted away after leaping over the rail into a gap between the seats and the left-field wall.

    Judge, eligible to become a free agent after this season, struck out on a full-count pitch when batting again in the second.

    He took right field in the bottom of the inning before manager Aaron Boone pulled him from the game. Oswaldo Cabrera, who had been at second base, moved to right field and the slugger got another loud ovation as he jogged back to the Yankees dugout on the third base side.

    Reaction quickly came from far beyond the ballpark.

    “History made, more history to make,” President Joe Biden posted on Twitter.

    Tweeted former Yankees star Derek Jeter: “Congrats @TheJudge44 on 62! Postseason next!!!”

    Maris’ 61 for the Yankees had been exceeded six times previously, but all were tainted by the stench of steroids. Along with Bonds’ record, Mark McGwire hit 70 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998 and 65 the following year. The Chicago Cubs’ Sammy Sosa had 66, 65 and 63 during a four-season span starting in 1998.

    McGwire admitted using banned steroids, while Bonds and Sosa denied knowingly using performing-enhancing drugs. Major League Baseball started testing with penalties for PEDs in 2004, and some fans — perhaps many — until now have considered Maris as holder of the legitimate record.

    A Ruthian figure with a smile as outsized as his body, the 6-foot-7 Judge has rocked the major leagues with a series of deep drives that hearken to the sepia tone movie reels of his legendary pinstriped predecessors.

    “He should be revered for being the actual single-season home run champ,” Roger Maris Jr. said Wednesday night after his father’s mark was matched by Judge. “I think baseball needs to look at the records and I think baseball should do something.”

    Judge had homered only once in the past 13 games, and that was when he hit No. 61 last Wednesday in Toronto. The doubleheader nightcap in Texas was his 55th game in row played since Aug. 5.

    Judge was 3 for 17 with five walks and a hit by pitch since moving past the 60 home runs Babe Ruth hit in 1927, which had stood as the major league record for 34 years. Maris hit his 61st off Boston’s Tracy Stallard at old Yankee Stadium on Oct. 1, 1961.

    Judge has a chance to become the first AL Triple Crown winner since Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012. He leads the AL with 131 RBIs and began the day trailing Minnesota’s Luis Arraez, who was hitting .315.

    The home run in his first at-bat put him back to .311, where he had started the day before dropping a point in the opener.

    Judge’s accomplishment will cause endless debate.

    “To me, the holder of the record for home runs in a season is Roger Maris,” author George Will said earlier this month. “There’s no hint of suspicion that we’re seeing better baseball than better chemistry in the case of Judge. He’s clean. He’s not doing something that forces other players to jeopardize their health.”

    ———

    AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

    ———

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  • Braves miss chance to clinch NL East, lose 4-0 to Marlins

    Braves miss chance to clinch NL East, lose 4-0 to Marlins

    MIAMI — Jesús Luzardo struck out 12 in six innings, Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run homer and the Miami Marlins prevented Atlanta from clinching its fifth straight NL East title by beating the Braves 4-0 on Monday night.

    After sweeping the rival Mets at home over the weekend, Atlanta arrived in Miami needing one win or a New York loss to wrap up the division crown and a first-round playoff bye.

    The Braves were unable to solve Luzardo or slow De La Cruz — and the Mets were rained out at home against Washington. New York is 1 1/2 games behind Atlanta heading into Tuesday’s doubleheader versus the last-place Nationals, while the Braves will play the second of three games at fourth-place Miami.

    “You just can’t go out and win a baseball game. There are a lot of moving parts in it,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. “These are dangerous teams, there are guys out there with talent. It’s hard to win a game. We’ll go get a good night’s sleep, come back and do it again.”

    Dansby Swanson had two of Atlanta’s four hits, all off Luzardo (4-7). Braves sluggers Austin Riley and Matt Olson struck out three times each against the left-hander, who walked one in his first win since Aug. 7.

    “It’s extremely satisfying,” Luzardo said. “Just wanted to go out there and do the same thing I’ve been doing: give us a chance to win, go long into a game. The result was great and definitely wanted to keep the train going.”

    It was the fifth time the Braves were shut out this season, and the first time Miami blanked them since Sept. 8, 2020.

    “Tough last three days, then night travel, we just couldn’t score runs,” Riley said. “There’s no panic. Come back (Tuesday) and lock this thing down.”

    De La Cruz also doubled and singled, finishing a triple shy of the cycle for the third time in his last nine starts. Jesús Sánchez doubled twice and singled as Miami snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Braves.

    “Hopefully next time I have that opportunity needing a triple, I’ll try to hit one out and perhaps the outfielder will dive, miss it and the ball will bounce around,” De La Cruz said.

    Atlanta starter Bryce Elder, who threw a shutout against Washington in his previous outing, was lifted after giving up four runs in five innings. Elder (2-4) allowed six hits, walked one and struck out five.

    “Would have liked to keep it closer than four,” he said.

    Swanson doubled leading off the sixth before Luzardo fanned Michael Harris II, Riley and Olson. It was Atlanta’s final hit, as relievers Jeff Brigham, Bryan Hoeing and Richard Bleier each tossed a perfect inning for Miami.

    Run-scoring doubles from De La Cruz and Sánchez in the first gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead.

    De La Cruz’s two-run shot in the third made it 4-0. The second-year outfielder drove Elder’s sinker over the wall in center for his 13th homer this season. He raised his batting average to .390 with five homers and 22 RBIs since being recalled from Triple-A on Sept. 7.

    “That’s who I am, the player they brought in last year,” De La Cruz said. “And that’s how I will continue to be the rest of my career.”

    CLOSING STATEMENTS

    Luzardo’s dominant final start of the season followed similar performances by teammates Sandy Alcantara and Pablo López against Milwaukee last weekend. Alcantara, a top NL Cy Young Award contender, threw his major league-leading sixth complete game in a 1-0 loss, while López tossed seven scoreless innings and got a no-decision.

    “Our guys have kept us there and given us chances,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “If you look at the whole season, it’s been a pretty strong suit. For the most part, they’ve been pretty solid.”

    DIFFERENT SITUATION

    When Elder made his previous start in Miami on Aug. 14, he was a one-day call-up from Triple-A to take the 27th roster spot for the doubleheader. Now, he could figure in Atlanta’s postseason plans after his third outing since being recalled a fifth time Sept. 19.

    “He’s definitely going to be in the conversation,” Snitker said. “He’s pitched his way into it.”

    FAMILIAR HONOR

    Harris accomplished in September what he had previously done in June and August. The 21-year-old center fielder earned his third NL rookie of the month award. Harris hit .324 and finished with six homers and 19 RBIs in September.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Braves: 2B Ozzie Albies (right pinkie fracture) traveled with the club to Miami, where he will continue his rehab.

    Marlins: SS Miguel Rojas will undergo surgery to repair cartilage damage in his right wrist Wednesday.

    UP NEXT

    Braves RHP Jake Odorizzi (5-6, 4.53 ERA) will start the middle game of the series Tuesday, while the Marlins go with LHP Braxton Garrett (3-6, 3.56).

    ———

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  • Nationals-Mets game rained out, doubleheader Tuesday

    Nationals-Mets game rained out, doubleheader Tuesday

    NEW YORK — The scheduled game between the Washington Nationals and New York Mets was postponed by rain Monday night and will be made up as part of a single-admission doubleheader Tuesday at Citi Field.

    The first game is set to begin at 4:10 p.m., though the forecast Tuesday is similarly soggy.

    New York (98-61) began the day two games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East with three to play. The playoff-bound Mets have led the division for 175 days this season, but their chances of winning it all but disappeared last weekend when they were swept in three games at Atlanta.

    The only way the Mets take the NL East and bypass a best-of-three wild-card series this weekend is by sweeping three games from the last-place Nationals while Atlanta loses all three at Miami.

    ———

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  • Aaron Judge stays at 61 homers as Orioles beat Yankees 2-1

    Aaron Judge stays at 61 homers as Orioles beat Yankees 2-1

    NEW YORK — Back in the Bronx, Aaron Judge had another sellout crowd fill Yankee Stadium hoping to see No. 62. The wait will extend into a rain-threatened weekend.

    Judge went 1 for 2 with a pair of walks as the Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 2-1 on Friday night.

    “It was a pretty electric atmosphere,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I actually found myself kind of nervous for his first at-bat, maybe just being all focused on it.”

    One game after tying the American League home run record of 61 that Yankees star Roger Maris set in 1961, Judge struck out in the first inning, singled in the third and walked in the sixth against Jordan Lyles (12-11), then was intentionally walked in the eighth by rookie Félix Bautista.

    “It was an amazing atmosphere. Probably not an empty seat out there,” Lyles said. “Everyone’s standing up. Everyone’s getting ready for something possible, something great.”

    Fans among the 47,583 on a chilly autumn night buzzed for each for the 21 pitches to Judge. His next chance comes Saturday, the 61st anniversary of Maris’ No. 61.

    “After every swing he took, you could hear audible gasps from the whole entire crowd,” Orioles rookie catcher Adley Rutschman said. “Every time he swung and just a big buildup, so that was pretty cool.”

    Judge has six games left: two this weekend against the Orioles, then four at Texas that end the regular season.

    Judge also is bidding for the first Triple Crown since Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012. Judge leads the AL with 130 RBIs and trails Minnesota’s Luis Arraez in the batting race by .3147 to .3141.

    The night was filled with bad news for the Yankees, already assured the AL East title and getting ready for their Division Series opener on Oct. 11.

    Reliever Zack Britton, just back last week from Tommy John surgery, threw a tiebreaking wild pitch in the sixth inning and immediately left with left arm fatigue.

    All-Star closer Clay Holmes had a cortisone injection Thursday and likely won’t pitch in a game until the playoffs.

    “There’s no use crying about what you do or don’t have,” Boone said. “You got to make the most of what you do. And the reality is we still have a lot of really talented guys down there.”

    Giancarlo Stanton went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts and is 1 for 21 with 13 strikeouts in his last five games. He is hitting .140 in 100 at-bats since returning Aug. 25 from a month out with left Achilles tendinitis.

    “I’m hoping it’s still just a timing thing that he’s working through,” Boone said. “He’s struggling to find it right now.”

    Baltimore (81-76) was eliminated from playoff contention about two hours after the final out when Seattle beat Oakland. The Orioles assured they will stop a streak of five consecutive losing seasons.

    Ryan Mountcastle singled in a run in the first for his 84th RBI. Oswaldo Cabrera tied the score in the fifth with his fifth home run since his debut on Aug. 17.

    After going 52-110, the Orioles could become the first team since at least 1900 with a winning record one year after losing 110 or more.

    “It just means that we exceeded expectations and that our guys fought all year long,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “There’s a lot of appreciation for what these guys have done this year around the league and it’s well deserved.”

    MOUND MATTERS

    Lyles matched his career high for wins in 2019, allowing four hits in seven-plus innings. He tied his season high with nine strikeouts and walked one.

    Domingo Germán (2-4) walked his first two batters in the sixth and retired Mountcastle on a groundout, Britton walked Gunnar Henderson and then threw a pitch to pinch-hitter Jesús Aguilar that went to the backstop, and he failed to cover the plate. Rookie DL Hall pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his first save since 2019 at Class A.

    HE”S BACK

    DJ LeMahieu played seven innings at third base and went 0 for 3 in his first game for the Yankees since a stint on the IL caused by an inflamed right second tie. He was in a 2-for-38 slide through Sept. 4 before going on the IL.

    SPEEDING

    Cedric Mullins stole two bases and tied teammate Jorge Mateo for the AL lead with 34.

    WEB GEMS

    Gold Glove CF Harrison Bader sprinted to make a diving backhand catch against Mullins on the left-center warning track in front of the 399-foot sign for the final out of the fifth inning.

    HECTOR LÓPEZ REMEMBERED

    Hector López, a member of the Yankees’ 1961 and ’62 World Series champions, has died at age 93, MLB.com reported, citing his son, Darrol. The Yankees held a moment of silence before the game. López hit .269 with 136 homers and 591 RBIs over 12 seasons for the Kansas City Athletics (1955-59) and Yankees (1959-66). He became the first Black manager at Triple-A in 1969 with the Buffalo Bisons, the Washington Senators’ top farm team.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Yankees: INF-OF Matt Carpenter, sidelined since breaking his left toot on Aug. 8, took batting practice and could be activated for next week’s series at Texas, though the Yankees are leaning toward having him report to a camp at Somerset, New Jersey, where he could get more at-bats ahead of the Division Series … LHP Wandy Peralta, sidelined since Sept. 18 with back tightness, threw a bullpen and will throw another Sunday before the Yankees decide whether to activate him. … RHP Frankie Montas, out since Sept. 16 with right shoulder inflammation, likely will start throwing Saturday … OF Andrew Benintendi (broken wrist) is scheduled to take swings Saturday but not against pitchers. … RHP Michael King said Mets medical director Dr. David Altchek determined his UCL was intact. King broke his right elbow while pitching against Baltimore on July 22 and anticipates being cleared for a normal offseason.

    UP NEXT

    LHP Nestor Cortes (11-4, 2.56) is scheduled to start against Baltimore’s RHP Austin Voth (5-3, 4.19) on Saturday, with rain in the forecast.

    ———

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  • AP source: Mets calling up top prospect Álvarez vs Braves

    AP source: Mets calling up top prospect Álvarez vs Braves

    NEW YORK — The first-place New York Mets are calling up top prospect Francisco Álvarez for their pivotal weekend series against the Atlanta Braves, according to a person familiar with the decision.

    The person confirmed the move to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday night because the Mets had not yet announced the transaction.

    The 20-year-old Álvarez is rated the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball by MLB.com, which reported his promotion earlier. He batted .260 with 27 home runs, 78 RBIs and an .885 OPS combined at Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse this season.

    New York leads the NL East by one game over the defending World Series champion Braves heading into their three-game series in Atlanta that begins Friday night. Both teams are headed to the playoffs and have six games remaining in the regular season.

    The division winner earns a first-round bye, while the second-place finisher will be the top NL wild card and host a best-of-three postseason series starting Oct. 7.

    Álvarez, a catcher and right-handed hitter, figures to be used as the Mets’ designated hitter against left-handed pitching — including Friday’s scheduled Braves starter, Max Fried.

    New York has received little production from right-handed hitters Darin Ruf and rookie Mark Vientos at DH since sending J.D. Davis to San Francisco at the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

    Left-handed hitter Daniel Vogelbach is New York’s regular DH against right-handers.

    ———

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  • Phillies lose 5th straight, Cubs sweep season series 6-0

    Phillies lose 5th straight, Cubs sweep season series 6-0

    CHICAGO — The Phillies lost their fifth straight game and dropped into a tie for the National League’s final wild card berth as the Chicago Cubs swept the season series from Philadelphia with a 2-0 victory on Thursday.

    Philadelphia was tied with Milwaukee at 83-72, pending the Brewers’ game against Miami later Thursday in the opener of a four-game series.

    Seeking their first playoff berth since 2011, the Phillies have lost the first three games of a season-ending 10-game trip and 10 of 13 overall since peaking at a season-best 80-62. Philadelphia has scored three runs or fewer in nine of those 13 games.

    “We’ve got to swing the bats a little bit better than we did, especially with runners in scoring position,” onterim manager Rob Thomson said, “But yeah, we’ve got to turn around here pretty quick. We’re getting good pitching. We’ve just got to string some hits together and we’ll be fine.”

    The Phillies were 22-29 on June 3 when Thomson replaced Joe Girardi as manager.

    Philadelphia holds the tiebreaker against Milwaukee, winning the season series 4-2. The Phillies go to major league-worst Washington for four games, then close with three at AL-best Houston. The Brewers finish with three games at home against Arizona.

    Bryce Harper had three of six hits for the Phillies, who are 1 for their last 21 with runners in scoring position. J.T. Realmuto went 0 for 4 and struck out twice in his 1,000th game.

    Philadelphia had not been swept in a season series of five or more games since Milwaukee went 7-0 in 2015.

    “We’re still in it,” said Harper, the reigning NL MVP. “We have seven games left. We’ve got a road ahead us, but we’ve got to keep playing, got to keep going, not having a mindset about losing and thinking about that.

    Harper said the team assembled by President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski was postseason caliber.

    “We’ve got a great team here,” Harper said. ”We’ve got a lot of great players. Dombrowksi put this team together to win games and get into the playoffs. You know, we need to do that.”

    Rookie Javier Assad (2-2) allowed five hits in five innings as he rebounded from pair of rough outings when he allowed eight runs in six innings. Keegan Thompson gave up one hit over three innings for his second big league save and first this year.

    Patrick Wisdom doubled twice and drove in a run and Seiya Suzuki was 2 for 3 as the Cubs completed a three-game sweep in which they limited the Phillies to three runs. Chicago has won eight of nine overall and swept the Mets in New York two weeks ago.

    “It’s fun to play well. It’s fun to win,” said Ian Happ, who drove in Chicago’s second run. “But those are the little things that motivate you as you kind of come down the stretch and being able to compete against good teams that are in playoff position.”

    Ranger Suárez (10-6) gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings. He had been 4-0 in 12 starts since a June 29 defeat to Atlanta.

    Three of Chicago’s first four batters reached. Wisdom’s first double drove in a run in what would have been a bigger rally had Willson Contreras not been out at home on Happ’s chopper to Suárez,

    Suzuki tripled with two outs in the fifth when center fielder Brandon Marsh lost his deep fly in the sun and the ball dropped in front of him, inches from his glove. Suzuki scored on Happ’s single.

    Happ made a nifty sliding catch of Marsh’s fly at the left side wall for the first out of the ninth.

    SUZUKI RETURNS

    Suzuki played his first game after returning from paternity leave in Japan.

    LOSING COUNT

    After singling in these second, Jean Segura was tagged out by Assad to end the inning after he wandered off first after losing track of the count to batter Nick Maton. The count was 3-1, but Wrigley’s antique center-field scoreboard showed ball four. Segura pointed the scoreboard, to no avail.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Phillies: OF Nick Castellanos was held out the starting lineup for a rest day, but pinch hit in the ninth and got an infield single. He returned Tuesday after missing three weeks with right oblique strain.

    UP NEXT:

    Phillies: LHP Bailey Falter (5-4, 4.21) and RHP Noah Syndergaard (9-10, 4.12) will start in a day-night doubleheader Friday. Both were sent to the team’s hotel in Washington in advance.

    Cubs: Adrian Sampson (3-5, 3.23) faces Cincinnati’s Graham Ashcraft (5-4, 4-18) on Friday as Chicago opens its final home series.

    ———

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  • Escobar rallies Mets past Marlins in 10, back into 1st alone

    Escobar rallies Mets past Marlins in 10, back into 1st alone

    NEW YORK — With the Mets needing a comeback in the pressure of a tight pennant race, Eduardo Escobar was a one-man show.

    Escobar homered and drove in five late runs — including the game-winning single in the 10th inning — to rally New York past the Miami Marlins 5-4 on Wednesday night and back into sole possession of first place in the NL East.

    By overcoming a four-run deficit, the Mets moved a game ahead of the Braves heading into a three-game showdown between the teams in Atlanta this weekend. The defending World Series champions lost 3-2 in 10 innings at last-place Washington, one night after pulling even with the Mets.

    “It’s going to be huge. Obviously, this is pretty much deciding the division,” winning pitcher Drew Smith said. “I’m sure it’s going to be as close to a playoff atmosphere as you can get without being in the playoffs.”

    Of course, Hurricane Ian could affect the schedule in Atlanta, where the teams are set to square off Friday night following a mutual off day. Both clubs have six games remaining in the only division race not decided.

    One win at Truist Park would give the Mets the season-series tiebreaker over Atlanta.

    After this weekend, New York finishes the regular season with three home games against Washington, while the Braves play at Miami.

    On this night, the Mets fell behind 4-0 but Escobar hit a two-run homer in the seventh and tied it on a two-run single with two outs in the eighth.

    “He’s a catalyst,” Smith said.

    Both those big hits came right-handed. The switch-hitter was batting from the left side when his RBI single off Dylan Floro (1-3) in the 10th scored automatic runner Francisco Lindor from second base — after an intentional walk to Jeff McNeil brought Escobar to the plate with two on and one out.

    “A little bit of the force, a little bit of the matchup, and you trust Flo what he’s going to do,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly explained. “Pretty much Escobar all night.”

    It was the first time a Mets player had at least five RBIs and knocked in all their runs in a walk-off win. After a slow start to his first season in New York, Escobar is batting .330 with eight homers and 24 RBIs in September.

    “The answer’s probably nothing other than he just never gave in,” manager Buck Showalter said. “He never gives in. Was the same guy every day.”

    Smith (3-3) struck out two in a perfect inning for the win.

    Jesús Luzardo mowed down the Mets for six innings, striking out Pete Alonso three times and taking a two-hit shutout into the seventh.

    But then McNeil led off with a single and Escobar chased the left-hander with a drive to left field that gave him his fifth career 20-homer season.

    Marlins reliever Tanner Scott, pitching for the first time since Sept. 16, walked three batters in the eighth to load the bases and Escobar grounded a two-run single off Richard Bleier through an open right side with two outs to tie it 4-all.

    Alonso raised both arms after sliding headfirst across home plate, and a fired-up Escobar pumped his fist and pounded his chest in excitement as he shouted toward the Mets’ dugout.

    Bryan De La Cruz hit a two-run homer off starter Taijuan Walker and finished a triple short of the cycle for the fourth-place Marlins. JJ Bleday had a sacrifice fly, and Brian Anderson added an RBI double.

    STORM WATCH

    Showalter sounded a little annoyed that no schedule adjustments had been made yet to the series in Atlanta to help the teams get all three games in this weekend or avoid a potential makeup doubleheader.

    “All that’s up to Atlanta. We don’t have much input at all. I mean, can’t you tell?” Showalter said. “It’s not our home game.”

    Showalter said the Mets were planning to bring a taxi squad to Atlanta as insurance — in case rough weather makes it difficult to get reinforcements there for an injured player, for example.

    TRAINER’S ROOM

    Marlins: SS Miguel Rojas sat out after leaving Tuesday night’s game in the seventh inning when tendinitis flared up in his right wrist and affected his throwing hand and forearm. … LHP Steven Okert (tender biceps) threw a bullpen.

    Mets: There’s still no timetable for the return of All-Star RF Starling Marte, sidelined since Sept. 7 with a partially broken middle finger on his right (throwing) hand. He received an injection and remains in a splint but is still feeling some discomfort. “I know it’s frustrating for him,” Showalter said. “He just needs to get to a point where he can grip a ball and grip a bat. Not there yet.” … RHP Mychal Givens had two strikeouts in a scoreless inning during a rehab outing for Triple-A Syracuse.

    UP NEXT

    Marlins: Another chance to play spoiler when they open a four-game series Thursday night at Milwaukee, which is chasing an NL wild card. LHP Braxton Garrett (3-6, 3.52 ERA) faces Brewers LHP Eric Lauer (10-7, 3.96).

    Mets: RHP Jacob deGrom (5-3, 2.93 ERA) is scheduled to pitch the series opener in Atlanta against LHP Max Fried (13-7, 2.50), who is 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA in four starts vs. the Mets this season. New York is 9-7 versus the Braves, including 3-4 in Atlanta.

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