The American League playoff races tightened on September 12. Toronto pulled to within one of the third AL Wild Card spot, while the Rangers cut the Astros’ lead in the AL West. Meanwhile, in New York, the Mets continued their strong second half with a win over the Yankees.
Mets beat down Cole, Yankees
The Mets won the second game of their three-game set with the Yankees 12-2.
It was a very tough day for Gerrit Cole, who allowed nine hits, three of which were home runs, and allowed five runs over 4.1 IP. Francisco Lindor hit two home runs in this one, part of a six-homer day for the Mets. Luis Torrens, Jared Young, and Carson Benge all went deep. As did Juan Soto, who tagged his old team for his 25th of the year.
Cody Bellinger had two hits and two RBI for the Yankees.
Blue Jays defeat O’s
The Blue Jays used seven pitchers to hold the Orioles to three runs, defeating Baltimore 7-3.
Brett Bateman continued his stellar rookie season with his second home run in as many games, while Alejandro Kirk, Andres Gimenez, and George Springer each had two hits. One of Kirk’s hits was a two-run blast off Kyle Bradish in the third frame.
Pete Alonso hit his 35th home run of the season, putting him one away from 300.
Guardians lose to Twins
Toronto was able to move to one back in the AL Wild Card, as the Twins defeated Cleveland 4-3 at Target Field.
It was a big day for Emmanuel Rodriguez, the Twins prospect who made his MLB debut on September 12. Rodriguez went deep in his very first at-bat, part of a four-run inning for Minnesota. Kody Clemens and Royce Lewis each laced RBI singles, while Victor Caratini drove in one via a hit by pitch.
Cleveland pushed two in the fifth to make it a one-run game. However, Brayan Rocchio & Steven Kwan were unable to get runners on base home during the seventh.
Astros fall again in St. Pete
The Rays defeated the Astros 3-2, giving Tampa Bay their AL-leading 89th win of the season.
Houston got on the board first, as ex-Ray Isaac Paredes hit his 20th home run in a stadium that was very kind to him throughout his career. Richie Palacios made it 2-1 in the fifth with a two-run single before Yainer Diaz tied it with an RBI single in the sixth.
A Nick Madrigal sac fly in the seventh made it 3-2.
Rangers move to within two
That Astros loss helped the Rangers, as Texas defeated the Diamondbacks 6-2.
The Rangers did all of their damage in the fifth inning. Wyatt Langford started the scoring with his 17th home run of the year, before Elias Diaz, Josh Jung, and Ezequiel Duran all had RBI singles. Brandon Nimmo drove in two with a double.
Kumar Rocker struck out five and received a no-decision. Nathan Eovaldi, fresh off the injured list, struck out two over 2.2 IP.
Everything else
- Tigers def. Rockies 11-7
- Cubs def. Pirates 4-3
- Nationals def. Angels 6-5 (11)
- Padres def. Giants 7-6
- Red Sox def. Royals 5-1
- Marlins def. Dodgers 4-3
- Brewers def. Reds 13-9
- Braves def. Phillies 12-2
- White Sox def. Cardinals 6-5
- Mariners def. Athletics 19-1
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