Each night in the 2016 baseball season we'll run down the top news, facts and highlights from around Major League Baseball.
The American League East has mastered the ability to produce drama every MLB season.
It's helps that two of the biggest and wealthiest teams (Red Sox and Yankees) own large and passionate fan bases. But right now, four of the five teams in the division look like they deserve a place in the postseason.
In fact, the already tight division got even more crunched Saturday when the Blue Jays beat the Red Sox 3-2, the Yankees beat the Rays 5-1 and the Orioles trounced the Tigers 11-3. Boston (79-62) now holds a slender one-game lead over Toronto (78-63) for the division crown. With their wins, the Orioles (77-64) and Yankees (76-65) are just two and three games back, respectively.
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Right now, if the season ended today, three AL East teams would play in the postseason with the Blue Jays and Orioles facing off in the wild-card game. However, the Tigers, despite the loss, are still tied with the Yankees just one game behind Baltimore for the final playoff spot.
This race will likely go down to the bitter end with all four AL East teams battling it out against one another, while the Tigers and Astros try to sneak past the melee.
Player of the Day:
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill was inexplicably pulled after seven innings with a perfect game still in tact. Hill, who had only thrown 89 pitches, was making just his second start since mid-July because of blister problems. He tossed seven perfect innings with nine strikeouts in a 5-0 win against the Miami Marlins.
Here's what manger Dave Roberts said in a press conference after the game:
"I feel sick to my stomach ... opportunity of lifetime for Rich. I made the decision to give us our best chance to win the World Series. I'm going to lose sleep tonight, and I probably should."
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Highlight:
Yasiel Puig makes a marvelous catch in center field:
When Puigs fly. #LloveTheGame pic.twitter.com/RzEzqTSQFe
— MLB (@MLB) September 11, 2016
Three things to know:
— Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer struck out eight batters in 6 2/3 shutout innings in a 3-0 win against the Philadelphia Phillies. Though he was forced to settle for a no-decision, Scherzer made a strong case for the National League Cy Young award. Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks, who leads MLB in ERA, seems to be his main adversary.
— Seven players on the Mariners finished Saturday's 14-3 victory over the Athletics with at least two hits. Nori Aoki and Nelson Cruz led the way with three apiece in Seattle's 17-hit slugfest.
— Speaking of tight wild-card races, the Giants and Cardinals took control of the two National League wild card spots with wins. Adam Wainwright gave up just one run in eight innings to help St. Louis beat the Brewers, while Hunter Pence, Joe Panik, Angel Pagan and Eduardo Nunez recorded three hits apiece to help San Francisco topple the Diamondbacks.
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What's Next:
Red Sox (79-62) at Blue Jays (78-63) 1:07 p.m. ET — Clay Buchholz (6-10, 4.99 ERA) will try to help the Red Sox remain ahead in the AL East while facing off against Aaron Sanchez (13-2, 2.92 ERA) and Toronto's powerful lineup.
Orioles (77-64) at Tigers (76-65) 1:10 p.m. ET — Detroit needs to bounce back after a humiliating loss. Justin Verlander (14-7, 3.28 ERA) will try to help them do that against Chris Tillman (15-5, 3.76 ERA) in a battle of aces.