The Cubs fire manager Dale Sveum one day after the end of a second straight disappointing season in which they lost 96 games after losing 101 in 2012.

2014 – In their first postseason appearance in 29 years, the Royals come out on top of a wild and crazy Wild Card Game, 9 – 8, in 12 innings over the Athletics. Oakland takes early leads of 2 – 0 and 7 – 3, thanks to a pair of homers and 5 RBIs by DH Brandon Moss, but the Royals come back twice, tying the game at 7 with 3 runs in the 8th and one in the bottom of the 9th. In the 12th, Oakland takes another lead when Alberto Callaspo drives in Josh Reddick from third base with a single, but the Royals come back one final time. Eric Hosmer triples off CF Sam Fuld’s glove with one out, then scores the tying run when Christian Colon singles to third base. After a second out, Colon steals second – the Royals’ seventh stolen base of the game, a postseason record – and Salvador Perez singles down the third-base line to drive him in and end the game, sending Kauffman Stadium into a frenzy.

The Mets extend manager Terry Collins’ contract for another two years, adding a club option for 2016. During his three-year tenure with New York, the 64 year-old skipper, who has also managed the Astros and Angels, has guided the team to a 225-261 record, the lowest winning percentage (.463) of his major league managerial career.

The Tigers pitchers, with 13 combined K’s in the season finale, ending the season with 1,428, to establish the major league record for strikeouts by a team, surpassing a mark set by the 2003 Cubs. Detroit’s starting rotation features Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Anibal Sanchez, who all have each struck out 200+ batters this season.

The Indians defeat the Twins, 5 – 1, behind a strong combined pitching performance by Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson to clinch the first wild card spot in the American League. The Indians finished the season 15-2 to ensure this outcome and will host the 2013 American League Wild Card Game in two days. A one-game playoff will be needed to determine their opponent, however, as the Rays defeat the Blue Jays, 7 – 6, hanging on for a nail-biting win after scoring six runs and chasing starter Todd Redmond in the 1st; the Rangers then win their 7th straight, defeating the Angels, 6 – 2, to match the Rays’ 91-71 record, forcing an extra game to be held.

On the last day of the regular season, Henderson Alvarez of the Marlins tosses a no-hitter against the Tigers, 1 – 0. The game is scoreless going into the bottom of the 9th, as Justin Verlander matches zeros with Alvarez, but Giancarlo Stanton scores a run on a wild pitch by Luke Putkonen to make the no-no official. It is only the 6th time in major league history a no-hitter has ended in walk-off fashion, and the first time it has happened in regulation innings since 1952.

The Rangers and Rays both win on the last day of the season to force a one-game tiebreaker for the second AL wild-card spot. Texas, who won its last seven games, will host Tampa Bay in the 163rd game of the season, with the winner playing the Indians in a third consecutive do-or-die game.

The Rangers move the start of their game to 11:05 AM local time to avoid a poor weather forecast and beat the Angels, 7 – 4 for their 6th straight win as they benefit from five Angels errors. Joe Nathan pitches the 9th inning in a driving rainstorm to nail the win; for the Angels, Erick Aybar ties a team record with three doubles. With the Rays’ 7 – 2 loss to the Blue Jays, who get homers from rookies Ryan Goins and Kevin Pillar, Texas is now tied with Tampa Bay for the second American League wild card spot with one game left. The Indians, 5 – 1 winners over the Twins behind Scott Kazmir, now have a one-game lead as they hold on to the first spot.