Three American League teams clinch postseason spots with wins today. The Yankees defeat the Blue Jays, 9 – 6, and the Orioles beat the Red Sox, 6 – 3, to remain tied atop the AL East. When the Rangers defeat the Angels, 8 – 7, in the second game of a doubleheader, all three teams are assured of claiming at least a wild card spot.

The Pirates are guaranteed to finish below .500 for the 20th consecutive season, extending their own record, as they lose to Cincinnati, 4 – 3. The Bucs were 16 games over .500 on August 6th, but for the second consecutive year, a late-season tumble costs them a chance at breaking the hoodoo. They are now 77-82 with three games remaining.

Prince Fielder’s two-run homer off Jared Burton in the 8th gives the Tigers a win. It’s his 30th homer of the year, making him and his father Cecil Fielder the second father-son duo to both go deep 30 times in a season for the same franchise; previously, only Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds of the Giants had done it.

After beating Boston earlier in the day, the Orioles secure a postseason berth when Texas beats the Angels in the second game of a twin bill. Baltimore, whose last playoff appearance occurred in 1997, clinches, at very least, one of the two American League wild-card spots.

En route from Baltimore to Tampa Bay to play the Rays, the Orioles’ charter is forced to make an emergency landing in Jacksonville, Florida because of smoke on the plane. The cause of the fire is not immediately known, but there are no reported injuries.

Rookie Manny Machado homers off Felix Doubront in the 7th inning to give Baltimore a 4 – 3 win over the Red Sox. With New York’s 3 – 2 loss to Toronto earlier today, the two teams are now tied for first place in the AL East. Toronto’s Ricky Romero gives up two 1st-inning runs, but the Jays come back to give Shawn Hill, who only a week ago was pitching for Team Canada in the 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Germany, his first big league win in two years.

Michael Morse hits a grand slam in the 1st inning of Washington’s game against St. Louis, but not after some confusion. His fly ball bounces off the right field back wall at Busch Stadium and back onto the field; Morse is tagged out returning to first base when the other runners stop, but a video review reverses the call. Morse then goes back to the batter’s box, takes a mock swing without a bat, and completes a turn around the bases. However, the Cards score three times in the 7th and once in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game, but a two-run double by Kurt Suzuki in the 10th gives the Nats a 6 – 4 win. Their magic number to clinch a division title is down to 1.

The Nationals, with a 6-4 win in St. Louis, establish a franchise record with their 96th victory of the season. In 1979, playing as the Expos, representing the city of Montreal, the team won 95 games, finishing the season two games behind Pittsburgh.