Orioles win AL East, exceeding expectations with unique blend of stars, survivors and castoffs: 'They've learned to battle'  —  The Orioles entered 2023 with high expectations for themselves, but few beyond the clubhouse believed they were capable of what they achieved Thursday.

Chicago Cubs lose another vital game to the Atlanta Braves in extra innings: 'We've got 4 games left to get this thing done'  —  ATLANTA — The Chicago Cubs again found themselves holding a lead late against the Atlanta Braves.  —  And again they were on the wrong end of a vital game Wednesday …

Philadelphia Phillies clinch NL wild-card berth, head to postseason for second straight year  —  Bryce Harper extended his arms as wide as they could stretch and waited for his jubilant Phillies teammates to sock him in the midsection with bottles of bubbly that had been turned into super soakers.

Diamondbacks' offense stalls in loss to Chicago White Sox  —  CHICAGO — The Diamondbacks were peppered with questions on Thursday morning about how they planned to handle the next 24 to 48 hours.  If they clinched a playoff spot while flying home to Arizona, would they celebrate in the air?

As Terry Francona prepares to say goodbye, a tribute to his humor and humanity  —  During spring training in 2012, Terry Francona was working with ESPN.  It was the year after he was fired as manager of the Boston Red Sox, a year before he was hired to manage Cleveland.

Reds lose potential season-ending game in Cleveland while running out of steam  —  CLEVELAND — The Cincinnati Reds were one of the breakout young teams in baseball through the end of July, and Andrew Abbott was one of the best rookie starting pitchers in the game.

Orioles, playing with ‘heavy heart,’ shut out Nationals, 1-0, behind Kyle Bradish's gem, Gunnar Henderson's homer  —  Kyle Bradish isn't viewed as an American League Cy Young candidate, but he pitched like one Tuesday.  —  Gunnar Henderson, meanwhile, is the AL Rookie of the Year front-runner, and he hit like it Tuesday.

Red Sox say Tim Wakefield is in treatment, asks for privacy after illness outed by Schilling  —  The Boston Red Sox say announcer and former knuckleballer Tim Wakefield is undergoing treatment for a disease they did not specify and asked for fans to respect his privacy after his illness …

3-team tie?  4-team tie?!  Chaotic playoff scenarios, explained  —  As we head toward the end of the regular season on Sunday, several postseason races are poised to come down to the wire, and there are a number of absolutely chaotic scenarios still in play.

Miguel Cabrera's biggest games: 5 days defined him in first 6 seasons as a Detroit Tiger  —  It wasn't quite on the level of his walk-off homer as a 20-year-old in his MLB debut with the Florida Marlins, but Miguel Cabrera didn't wait long to make an impression in his first game with the Detroit Tigers, either.