- Associated Press
LEADING OFF: Ailing players heal up, Yanks back in Cleveland
Minnesota has a couple of ailing hitters in third baseman Josh Donaldson (right calf) and center fielder Byron Buxton (mild concussion symptoms). Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Buxton is improving and the team hopes he’ll be ready for the postseason opener. White Sox outfielder Eloy Jiménez sprained his right foot on a slide Thursday but was “improving exponentially,” manager Rick Renteria said Sunday.
- The Associated Press
Braves face Reds in playoffs; Red Sox win Roenicke finale
Jackie Bradley Jr. homered and made a leaping catch as the last-place Boston Red Sox won their final game under manager Ron Roenicke, beating the playoff-bound Atlanta Braves 9-1 Sunday. The NL East champion Braves wound up as the No. 2 seed and will face Cincinnati in a best-of-three playoff series starting Wednesday. All games will be played in Atlanta.
- Associated Press
LeMahieu, Soto batting champs in shortest season in century
DJ LeMahieu became the first player to win undisputed batting titles in both leagues and Juan Soto the youngest NL champion as Major League Baseball’s shortest regular season since 1878 ended Sunday. The .245 big league batting average was the the lowest since .237 in 1968 and down from .252 last year. Indians ace Shane Bieber finished with a 1.63 ERA, the lowest figure to lead the American League since Luis Tiant’s 1.60 for Cleveland in 1968, a year of pitching dominance that caused baseball officials to lower the mound the following year.
NL East Standings
| W | L | Pct | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 25 | .583 | 0.0 | |
| 31 | 29 | .517 | 4.0 | |
| 28 | 32 | .467 | 7.0 | |
| 26 | 34 | .433 | 9.0 | |
| 26 | 34 | .433 | 9.0 |
- x
- - Clinched Playoff Spot
- y
- - Clinched Division