SAN FRANCISCO — Jerar Encarnacion homered and the San Francisco Giants earned an early lead, but rookie starter Landen Roupp had an uncharacteristic blow-up, pitting San Francisco in too deep a deficit.

While playing from behind, the Giants squandered a couple chances, then couldn’t create any more during the late innings in a 6-3 loss to ...Read more

PHOENIX — The San Diego Padres are coming home.

They scored enough early in Friday’s game and have won enough throughout the season to have earned the right to host a playoff series.

It was a 5-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field coupled with the New York Mets’ 8-4 loss in Milwaukee that clinched the top-wild card spot...Read more

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The final start of the season for Reid Detmers was a perfect summation of his 2024. He showed both why he’s had so much trouble this season, and also why the Angels still believe he can be a front-line pitcher.

Detmers gave up four runs in five innings, and the Angels lost, 5-2, to the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

In ...Read more

SEATTLE — A team that once led the division by 10 games and was eliminated from postseason consideration 24 hours earlier welcomed a team that had just said goodbye to its home of 59 seasons for the final three games without consequence to end the 2024 season.

Meaningless baseball as summer days chilled to fall evenings was once a seemingly ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — Playoff baseball is coming back to Baltimore.

Camden Yards went eight years without a playoff game. Now, it will host at least two for a second consecutive season.

After clinching a playoff berth Tuesday, the Orioles set their sights on the next goal: Securing the American League’s top wild-card spot and home-field advantage ...Read more

DENVER — As he hobbled across the field at Dodger Stadium to talk to reporters on Thursday night, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman wore three notable things.

A walking boot. A National League West championship T-shirt. And, most importantly in the wake of his ankle injury in that night’s division-clinching win, a relieved and grateful ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — In one of the most important games of the year, everything that could go wrong for the Mets went wrong.

There were booted balls and errant throws. The Milwaukee Brewers bullied Francisco Alvarez on the basepaths before the catcher left the game with back spasms. Left-hander Sean Manaea, a catalyst in the push for a postseason ...Read more

WASHINGTON — Just over a week out from the National League Division Series, manager Rob Thomson wasn’t planning to push his starting pitchers during the Phillies’ final regular-season series against the Nationals. Even so, Ranger Suárez still had something to prove when he took the mound on Friday night.

But when he left the game just ...Read more

NEW YORK — Once upon a time, when Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds looked like an obvious trade candidate, fans and pundits pegged him as a perfect fit for the Yankees.

On Friday, the Pirates’ left fielder — now on a long-term deal — gave the Bronx faithful a taste of what life would have been like had Yankee Stadium become his home. ...Read more

DETROIT — No team in Major League Baseball’s modern era has lost more games in a season than the 2024 Chicago White Sox.

The Sox reached the pinnacle of baseball infamy with record-breaking loss No. 121 on Friday, falling 4-1 to the Detroit Tigers in front of a sellout crowd of 44,435 at Comerica Park.

The Sox surpassed the 1962 New York ...Read more

DETROIT — To steal a line from former Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups, who, by the way, captained the last championship team in this city, “If it ain’t hard, it ain’t right.”

Everything about what the Tigers have done these last seven weeks has been hard. Some would’ve thought impossible, improbable for sure. But, as the ...Read more

ATLANTA — The Kansas City Royals ran into a command performance from Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried on Friday night.

Fried was in rare form as his team clung to slim playoff hopes. The Braves’ starting pitcher silenced the Royals across 8 2/3 innings, allowing just three hits and striking out nine as KC fell 3-0 at Truist Park.

With ...Read more

BOSTON — Taj Bradley walked off the mound after his last pitch of the 2024 season with a smile Friday night.

Technically, that was because of how he made the final out of the sixth inning, falling down as he grabbed Connor Wong’s grounder and, from a seated position on the mound, threw to first.

But Bradley has bigger reasons to be happy, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani isn't like any other baseball player.

This isn't about him being a two-way player when healthy or his combination of power and speed that produced the sport's first 50-homer, 50-steal season.

This is about how he deals with career-defining moments.

What's at stake for his team. The implications for his legacy. ...Read more

MIAMI — Max Matus will never forget his 18th birthday, unfortunately.

On Sept. 19, the avid baseball fan attended the Miami Marlins vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game at loanDepot Park to celebrate.

In the seventh inning, something epic happened: Dodgers star hitter Shohei Ohtani made history with his 50th home run of the season. This means ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Total bases is not a statistic mentioned often. Accumulating 400 total bases in a season doesn't have the panache of, say, batting .400.

Leave it to Shohei Ohtani to reach another rare milestone and prompt statisticians to dive back into the digital record books. He became the first player in 23 years and only 19th in baseball ...Read more

A night earlier, he was stranded in the on-deck circle by an astounding triple play that pushed the Dodgers' division title hopes to the brink.

On a raucous Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, Shohei Ohtani finally stepped to the plate.

And promptly stomped all but the last bits of breath from the San Diego Padres.

Triple play, shriple play, ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is throwing so well in the wake of his second Tommy John elbow surgery that his rehabilitation team is beginning to tap the brakes.

"We're trying to keep his velocity down because it needs to be more of a gradual thing," Dodgers team physician Neal ElAttrache told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday, ...Read more

The A’s season doesn’t officially end until the final out on Sunday in Seattle. But the final game at the Coliseum, for many, marks the end of the Oakland era.

In case you missed it, the franchise is temporarily headed to Sacramento. They’ll settle in Las Vegas in four years if things go according to plan.

Thursday is the A’s 4,493rd ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The celebration on the field was subdued, no dogpile, no dancing, just veteran champions acting like champions.

The Dodgers clinched their 11th National League West title in 12 years Thursday night at Dodger Stadium like they expect to be here, firm handshakes, light hugs, the usual Randy Newman soundtrack accompanying the usual...Read more