BOSTON (AP) — The New York Yankees clinched home-field advantage for the AL wild-card game, hitting four homers to tie the major league single-season record and beat the Boston Red Sox 11-6 on Friday night.
Aaron Judge hit his first homer since coming off the disabled list Sept. 14, and Gary Sanchez, Aaron Hicks and Luke Voit also homered to match the mark of 264 set by the 1997 Seattle Mariners.
The win in the opener of the three-game series settled the AL's last remaining postseason question with two games to go. The Yankees will host Oakland on Wednesday, with the winner playing Boston.
The Red Sox, who clinched the best record in baseball with a franchise-record 107 wins, were hoping to make things difficult for their archrivals — and the Athletics, too — by forcing the winner of the wild-card game have to fly cross-country next week. The ALDS begins in Boston on Friday.
J.A. Happ (17-6) pitched three perfect innings and allowed just one hit through five. Staked to an 8-0 lead, he loaded the bases in the sixth for Steve Pearce's grand slam, but got Rafael Devers on a groundout to end the inning. Brian Johnson (4-5) was the loser.
CUBS 8, CARDINALS 4
CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Hendricks went eight innings in another strong start, Kris Bryant homered and Chicago moved closer to the NL Central championship and dealt another hit to St. Louis' playoff hopes.
The Cubs came into the final weekend of the regular season with a franchise-record fourth straight trip to the postseason assured and their third division title in a row in sight. They began the day with a one-game lead over Milwaukee, with the Brewers playing Detroit on Friday night.
St. Louis dropped its fourth in a row after being swept by Milwaukee. The Cardinals came in trailing Los Angeles by a game for the second wild card, with the Dodgers visiting San Francisco.
Hendricks (14-11) gave up two runs and seven hits. He's 5-1 with a 1.52 ERA in his past seven outings.
Bryant made it 3-0 with a long solo drive to center against Adam Wainwright (2-4) for just his second homer in 27 games. The 2016 NL MVP sat out the previous two because of a bruised left wrist and has two stints on the disabled list this season because of left shoulder inflammation.
Daniel Murphy had two hits, two runs and an RBI. He singled and scored in a two-run first, doubled and came around in the fifth, and added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
TWINS 2, WHITE SOX 1, 1ST GAME
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jose Berrios became the first Minnesota pitcher in eight years to reach 200 strikeouts, throwing seven smooth innings against Chicago in the first game of a doubleheader.
Berrios finished his All-Star season with a career-best 3.84 ERA and 202 strikeouts. The last time a Twins pitcher topped that milestone was Francisco Liriano (201) in 2010, with Johan Santana (235) in 2007 the most recent prior to that.
Berrios (12-11) struck out nine batters, allowing just three hits and one run on Leury Garcia's RBI single in the third. Berrios walked four, including Avisail Garcia to lead off the sixth, but he followed that by fanning Daniel Palka, Matt Davidson and Omar Narvarez in a 10-pitch span.
Joe Mauer, playing possibly the final games of his career with an expiring contract and a pending decision about whether or not to retire at age 35, had two singles and is hitting .352 (19 for 54) over his last 14 starts while reaching base at least once in each.
Reynaldo Lopez (7-10) took the loss.
ASTROS 2, ORIOLES 1
BALTIMORE (AP) — Gerrit Cole tuned up for the postseason by pitching six sharp innings, and Houston got a home run from Josh Reddick in the Astros' victory over Baltimore.
The Astros close out the regular season at Camden Yards this weekend after clinching the AL West title on Tuesday night. Houston opens the playoffs at home against Cleveland on Oct. 5.
Cole gave up one run, five hits and a walk. His four strikeouts gave him 276 for the season, and he reached 200 innings for the third time in his career.
Marwin Gonzalez put Houston in front with a bases-loaded single in the eighth off Tanner Scott (3-3).
Tony Sipp (3-1) and Collin McHugh each pitched one inning before Roberto Osuna worked the ninth for his 21st save.
MARLINS 8, METS 1
NEW YORK (AP) — David Wright finally made it back into a major league game, grounding out in his first plate appearance for New York in nearly 2 1/2 years in a loss to Miami.
Sidelined by neck, back and shoulder injuries since May 27, 2016, the 35-year-old Wright came up as a pinch-hitter leading off the fifth inning. Wright is scheduled to start at third base Saturday night against the last-place Marlins in his goodbye game before a sellout crowd. Unable to overcome all the injuries, he said he expects this weekend to mark his final appearance in the big leagues.
Urena (9-12) won his sixth straight decision, holding the Mets to one run over six innings.
Paul Sewald (0-7) was the loser.
PIRATES 8, REDS 4
CINCINNATI (AP) — Elias Diaz hit a tiebreaking homer, and Colin Moran also homered and drove in three runs and Pittsburgh pulled away its their seventh straight win over Cincinnati.
The Pirates are 13-4 against their Ohio River rivals this season with their longest winning streak against Cincinnati since 1991, when they took nine in a row.
The Reds are ending another disappointing season in a rut, dropping six straight and 11 of 14. Their loss on Friday was their 94th of the season, matching their total for each of the last two years. They've dropped at least 90 games in four straight seasons, one shy of the club record from 1930-34.
Nick Kingham gave up Eugenio Suarez's two-run homer, his first since Sept. 10, during his 3 2/3 innings. Steven Brault (6-3) allowed three hits in 2 1/3 innings. Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart had a career-high five hits, including a triple, a bunt single and a two-run homer.
Anthony DeSclafani (7-8) was the loser.
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