The Rays need 18 innings to defeat the Orioles, 5 – 4, on David DeJesus’s RBI single after a major league record 21 pitchers are used in the game. The win puts the Rays in sole possession of the first wild card spot in the American League. Cleveland beats Houston, 2 – 1, in a game ended by rain after 6 1/2 innings to move into the second spot, a half-game behind Tampa. Four other teams are still in the hunt: Texas, now one game back of Tampa after a 2 – 1 loss to the Royals, who themselves are tied with Baltimore, three back of the Rays, and the Yankees, who trail those two by a half-game.

Los Angeles clinches the NL West title with a 7 – 6 win over Arizona at Chase Field. The D-Backs are miffed when the Dodgers’ players celebrate the event by climbing the right-center field wall and jumping into the pool there for an improvised party, a gesture the home team finds disrespectful. Hanley Ramirez homers twice for L.A. then leaves the game early because of a strained hamstring that has been bothering him all season.

Boston also clinches a postseason slot after defeating the Orioles, 3 – 1, as John Lackey pitches a two-hit complete game. The Sox’s magic number to ensure they win the AL East title is down to 1.

Yadier Molina strokes his 41st double of the season in the Cardinals’ 4-3 victory over Colorado, breaking the mark for two-baggers by a catcher. The St. Louis backstop, who will finish the year with 44 doubles, surpasses the record established in 1978 by Ted Simmons, who also played for the Redbirds.

In his first start in the majors, Reds’ rookie Billy Hamilton gets on base five times, going 3-for-4 with two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI. The Cincinnati speedy center fielder, who stole 155 bases in the minors last season, becomes the first major leaguer since 1920 to steal four bases in his first major league start.

Other games with postseason implications go into extra innings, as the Rays defeat the Rangers, 4 – 3, in 12 innings on Desmond Jennings’ game-ending single, while Chris Davis of the Orioles drives in a pair of 12th-inning runs in a 5 – 3 win over Boston. Tampa Bay’s win gives the Rays sole possession of the first wild card slot in the American League, a game ahead of Texas, with Cleveland a half-game behind Texas, the Orioles one back and Kansas City 2 1/2 out.

The Rangers snap a seven-game losing streak by defeating the Rays, 7 – 1, in St. Petersburg. The two clubs are now tied for the two wild card spots in the American League, but four other teams are within 3 1/2 games of the pair.

The Omaha Storm Chasers win the Triple-A National Championship, 2 – 1, over the Durham Bulls, in Allentown, PA. Chris Dwyer has a perfect game for 6 2/3 innings before Tim Beckham singles off him. Jake Odorizzi, meanwhile, has a streak of 23 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings snapped in the 2nd when Omaha’s Lane Adams doubles and comes home on a Manny Pina single. J.D. Martin allows one run in four innings of relief. Durham scores in the 8th when Leslie Anderson homers off Michael Mariot for the final margin. Dwyer is named the game’s MVP.

Matt Holliday goes 4-for-4 and reaches base five times to lead the Cardinals to an 11 – 4 win over the Rockies. The Cards score 6 times in the 3rd to give Joe Kelly the win and are once again alone in first place in the tight NL Central.