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.

In the final game he plays at Coors Field, Todd Helton homers in his first at-bat, a second-inning solo shot in Colorado’s 15-5 loss to Boston. The 40 year-old first baseman, who announced his retirement last week, has spent his entire 17-year career with the Rockies.

The Marlins lose their 100th game of the year, dropping a 2-1 decision to Philadelphia en route to the second-worst record (62-100) in franchise history. The season follows a much-maligned fire sale that left the team without its prized players from the 2012 roster, including Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Heath Bell, as well as starting pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson.

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.

Struggling all month in their bid to lock up a wild card slot, the Rangers annihilate the woeful Astros, 12 – 0, as Alex Rios hits for the cycle and Derek Holland pitches a complete game shutout, striking out 9. Rios only needs 6 innings to complete his feat, and then leaves way for Engel Beltre with Texas already ahead, 11 – 0. For the Astros, it is loss number 106, one shy of the franchise record.

With their 2-1 win over Chicago thanks to�Starling Marte’s ninth-inning homer, along with Washington’s defeat in St. Louis, the Pirates will appear in the postseason for the first time since 1992. The victory assures the Bucs one of the two wildcard berths, with a division title still within reach.

The Orioles suffer a double blow in their postseason chase when they lose, 5 – 4, to the Rays on James Loney’s 9th-inning walk-off pinch homer. In the 7th inning, young 3B Manny Machado suffers a season-ending injury when he steps awkwardly on first base and twists his knee.

The Pirates clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 1992 with a 2 – 1 win over the Cubs, thanks to Starling Marte’s tie-breaking 9th-inning homer. The Reds soon join them with a 10-inning, 3 – 2 win over the Mets, secured on Shin-Soo Choo’s game-ending single. With the Cardinals having clinched a postseason slot a few days earlier, it will be the first time that three teams from the same division play together in the postseason. The three teams have been bunched up all season, and their order of finish is still to be determined.

Two teams clinch division titles today. The Athletics secure their second straight AL West crown with an 11 – 7 win over the Twins as Coco Crisp hits a three-run homer and Jed Lowrie and Daric Barton add solo shots, negating a homer and 6 RBIs by Twins rookie Oswaldo Arcia. In the NL East, Atlanta wins its first title since 2005 as its closest pursuers, the Nationals, lose, 4 – 2, to the Marlins. The Braves then defeat the Cubs, 5 – 2, as they now set their eyes on finishing the year with the best record in the National League.