Wagner eyes retirement, not 400th career save  —  Billy Wagner may have thrown his last pitch in the major leagues.  —  The former Mets pitcher told The Post yesterday he's planning to retire rather than pursue a closer's job — and 400 career saves — next season.

Times set for NY Yankees' first two games in the ALCS … CC Sabathia's first pitch in the American League Championship Series will be thrown a hair after 7:37 p.m. Friday when the New York Yankees open the best-of-seven series against the Los Angeles Angels.

PADRES: Ready will interview to be Astros' manager  —  Padres hitting coach Randy Ready is one of 10 candidates to be the Houston Astros' next manager.  —  The Astros asked for, and were granted, permission to talk to Ready.  He'll interview with Astros officials on Thursday.

Scioscia far from being an ‘Angel’  —  HE HAS been a menace to us for damn near 30 years now, the thorn in our side, the cloud in our coffee, the bee in our bonnet, the fly in our ointment, the clouds on our sunny day.  He has been our nemesis, our arch-enemy, our tormentor, our antagonist and our antagonizer.

Five years, what a surprise  —  FIVE YEARS LATER...  ...The Yankees are back in the American League Championship Series.  This is an accomplishment, no doubt about it, but the sweep of the Twins shouldn't be taken as any sign of the Yankees' predestination as champions.

Does Baseball Need Umpires?  —  Recent Bad Calls Have Critics Howling for Better Umps, But Maybe It's a Job for Machines  —  During Friday's playoff game at Yankee Stadium, Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins hit an 11th-inning fly ball down the left-field line that landed clearly fair, a foot inside the line.

Victory on a night made for Utley  —  DENVER - It was the sort of night made for Chase Utley.  —  Made for his swing.  Made for his reputation.  Made for his demeanor.  —  It was cold.  —  Short, compact swings work in the cold.  —  It was a hard night to play baseball.

Miller headed to Arizona Fall League  —  Rangy left-hander to work out kinks after rough '09 with Marlins  —  MIAMI — Relying so heavily on youth, the Marlins understand the importance of patience.  —  Not every player is a finished product when they take the field for the first time.

Texas League Top 20 Prospects  —  Latos jumps to No. 1 before jumping to big leagues … The Double-A Texas League lacked a slam-dunk top prospect this year, and most of those players who did rise to the top of the talent pool left before they even completed a circuit around the league.

Local MLB legend, pitcher Larry Jansen passes away at 89 in his hometown of Verboort  —  Former major league baseball star Larry Jansen, the winning pitcher in one of the sport's most famous games, died in his sleep early Saturday morning in the home he built in 1951 in his hometown of Verboort.

Minor League Transactions  —  The offseason is officially upon us.  The first wave of minor league free agents make their way to the open market as their contracts expire.  The list includes a pair of No. 1 overall draft picks in Kris Benson ('96) and Bryan Bullington ('02).

Rockies quickly turn to offseason deals, questions  —  Contract issues involving O'Dowd and Tracy are only part of the decisions Colorado has to make.  —  The Denver Post  —  The Rockies figured they would be in Philadelphia tonight, finishing a dramatic division series.

Epstein looks ahead to the winter  —  Had the Red Sox won yesterday, Fenway Park would be brimming with activity right now with batting practice about to begin before Game 4 of the ALDS.  Instead the stands are empty, the mound and plate are covered and all is quiet save a few writers …