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.

The Indians beat up the Twins, 12 – 6, for their eighth straight win to pull into a tie with Tampa Bay for the top wild card spot in the American League. The Rays blow a 3 – 0 lead to lose, 6 – 3, to the Blue Jays, while the Rangers stay one game back of the pair with a 5 – 3 win over the Angels.

The Cardinals clinch the NL Central title with a 7 – 0 win over the Cubs, but they also announce that cleanup hitter Allen Craig will not be available for at least the first round of the postseason because of a foot injury.

There are some wild games in the American League, but at the end of the day, the wild card standings are unaffected. Tampa Bay shuts out New York, 4 – 0, at New Yankee Stadium as Mariano Rivera tosses 1 1/3 inning in his last-ever appearance at home. Cleveland retains its hold on the second wild card by surviving a 9th-inning scare, which sees a comfortable 6 – 1 lead turn into a 6 – 5 win over the Twins as embattled closer Chris Perez fails once again, and Texas keeps pace at one game back as Jurickson Profar hits a walk-off homer in the 9th for a 6 – 5 win over the Angels.

Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte, with two out in the ninth inning, emerge from the dugout to take out legendary closer Mariano Rivera, giving the sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium one last chance to cheer their beloved reliever. The unexpected visit to the mound, the brainchild of manager Joe Girardi, who asked permission from the umpires to implement the unorthodox move, triggers an emotional encounter between the remaining Core Four teammates that renders Mo speechless as he weeps from the adulation of his friends and fans.

Commissioner Bud Selig announces his intention to retire upon the completion of his contract, scheduled to expire at the end of next year. The 79 year-old chief executive of baseball has held the position since 1992, first on an interim basis, before being named permanently to the post nearly six years later.

The Braves fall behind the Cardinals in the race for the best record in the National League with a 4 – 0 loss to the Brewers. The game is marred by a bench-clearing brawl in the 1st, after Carlos Gomez takes Paul Maholm deep to open the score, then admires the flight of the ball, flips his bat and trots slowly around the bases while shouting at Maholm. Gomez, Atlanta 1B Freddie Freeman and back-up C Gerald Laird are all ejected as a result of the melee; Gomez later explains that Maholm had twice hit him with pitches in previous games and it was his way of evening the score. Kyle Lohse needs only 89 pitches to pitch the two-hit shutout. Gomez will be handed a one-game suspension and a fine for his actions, as will Braves OF Reed Johnson, who although not ejected was the first player to leave the bench to join the confrontation.

For the third straight year, the Astros set a new team record for losses as they bow to the Rangers, 7 – 3, extending their current losing streak to 12 games and pushing their season’s total to 108. Houston lost 106 games in 2011 and 107 in 2012, after never topping 97 losses in its first 49 seasons. The Rangers have taken advantage of their cross-state rivals’ ineptitude to stay alive in the American League wild card race as rookie Martin Perez records his 10th win of the year.

The Indians continue their late push for a postseason slot, defeating the White Sox, 5 – 4, on pinch-hitter Jason Giambi’s dramatic two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 9th. Chris Perez had blown a 3 – 2 lead in the top of the inning by surrendering homers to Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza.