PHILADEPLHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper and Edmundo Sosa homered, and Zack Wheeler delivered like a Game 7 ace to bring the Philadelphia Phillies back from the brink of collapse and send them into the playoffs with a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday that clinched the final National League wild-card berth.
asserted
that → homer → berth
Jhoan Duran struck out Nick Fortes to end it.
asserted
Duran → strike → it
The Phillies will play Game 1 in a best-of-three Wild Card Series on Tuesday in Atlanta.
asserted
Phillies → play → Atlanta
The AL East champion Rays earned a postseason bye last week and will play the winner of the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees series beginning Saturday.
asserted
Rays → earn → Saturday
Jonny DeLuca homered twice for the Rays.
asserted
DeLuca → homer → Rays
The Phillies could have clinched a playoff berth as early as Wednesday before they lost four straight games and nearly coughed up their wild-card lead to Arizona.
uncertain
they → clinch → Arizona
Bryson Stott had an RBI double in the first inning off Rays starter Nick Martinez (15-6) that seemed to ease some pressure off the Phillies.
asserted
that → have → Phillies
J.T Realmuto snapped an 0-for-34 skid in the second with an RBI double and Kyle Schwarber ripped a two-run double and belly-flopped into second base.
asserted
Schwarber → snap → base
That made it 4-0 and got a rise out of the crowd on a rainy day at the ballpark.
asserted
it → make → ballpark
Harper hit a solo shot and Sosa added a two-run drive in the fifth for a 7-1 lead.
asserted
Sosa → hit → lead
The Phillies had 12 hits.
asserted
Phillies → have → hits
NATIONALS 6, METS 4
WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrés Chaparro homered twice and Washington defeated New York in the season finale for both teams.
asserted
Washington → homer → teams
Francisco Lindor hit his 300th career home run, Ronny Mauricio went deep for the third time in two days and rookie Carson Benge had three hits for his 45th multihit game and 14th with three or more for New York.
asserted
Benge → hit → York
The Mets, who opened the season with a major league-record $358.4 million payroll, slid nine games from last year to 74-88 — their worst mark since going 70-92 in 2017.
asserted
who → open → 2017
They finished last in the NL East for the first time since 2003.
asserted
They → finish → 2003
New York was 34-47 under manager Carlos Mendoza, who was fired June 26, and 40-41 under Andy Green.
asserted
who → fire → Green
The Mets lifted Green’s interim tag Tuesday and gave him a three-year contract through 2029.
asserted
Mets → lift → 2029
The Nationals improved 11 games to 77-85 in manager Blake Butera’s first season.
asserted
Nationals → improve → season
They finished fourth in the NL East while recording their seventh consecutive losing season since winning the 2019 World Series.
asserted
They → finish → Series
Chaparro led off the third and fifth innings with home runs against Mets starter Sean Manaea (6-8).
asserted
Chaparro → lead → Manaea
After waiting out an hour-long rain delay at the start, New York built a 4-1 lead with the help of Mauricio and Lindor’s back-to-back home runs in the second.
asserted
York → wait → second
Lindor had not homered since Sept. 12.
asserted
Lindor → homer → Sept.
ROYALS 3, GUARDIANS 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vinnie Pasquantino homered twice and Kansas City snapped a three-game skid with a victory over Cleveland.
asserted
City → homer → Cleveland
Pasquantino hit solo homers in the fifth and eighth innings off Austin Peterson (0-1), who was recalled from Triple-A Columbus before the game.
asserted
who → hit → game
The Royals (69-93) won for just the seventh time in September, finishing last in the AL Central with 13 fewer wins than last season’s third-place finish (82-80).
asserted
Royals → win → finish
Nate Peterson (3-4) recorded two outs in the eighth and Lucas Erceg struck out one and earned his 13th save.
asserted
Erceg → record → save
Salvador Perez’s RBI single put the Royals ahead in the first inning.
asserted
single → put → inning
Kansas City scored a first-inning run in seven of their final 10 games.
asserted
City → score → games
Cleveland’s Daniel Schneeman hit his seventh home run leading off the third inning, tying the game 1-all.
asserted
Schneeman → hit → game
Pasquantino hit a solo homer, his 16th, 434 feet to center with two out in the fifth.
asserted
Pasquantino → hit → fifth
Then, Jo Adell tied the game at 2 with a 440-foot home run in the sixth, his 23rd.
asserted
Adell → tie → sixth
WHITE SOX 4, ROCKIES 2
CHICAGO (AP) — Randal Grichuk and Brenton Doyle homered in Chicago’s four-run third inning, powering the playoff-bound White Sox over Colorado.
asserted
Grichuk → homer → Colorado
The White Sox, locked into the final AL Wild Card slot, finished at 84-78 and one game behind division champion Cleveland in the AL Central.
asserted
Sox → lock → Central
They’ll open a three-game series Tuesday at the AL West winner, Houston or Texas.
asserted
They → open → winner
Chicago managed a 24-win improvement over 2025 when it was last in the AL at 60-102, becoming the first team to qualify for the postseason after consecutive 100-loss seasons.
asserted
it → manage → seasons
Chicago’s 84 wins set a record for a team that had lost 100 or more games in three previous seasons.
asserted
that → set → seasons
Cole Carrigg hit a solo shot for the Rockies, who lost 18 of their last 22 and finished 58-104, worst in the majors for a second straight season.
asserted
who → hit → season
Colorado was 43-119 in 2025, setting a franchise record for losses.
asserted
Colorado → set → losses
Colorado became the first team with four straight 100-loss seasons since the 1962-65 New York Mets
PIRATES 4, TIGERS 2
DETROIT (AP) — Konnor Griffin homered and Pittsburgh recorded its first winning season in eight years with a victory over Detroit.
asserted
Pittsburgh → become → Detroit
Pittsburgh (82-80), which improved by 11 wins over 2025, hadn’t finished with a record over .500 since going 82-79 in 2018.
asserted
which → improve → 2018
…and 68 more, not listed.
The Aporia
