With most of the interest now focused on the wild card races, the Indians compete a four-game sweep of the Astros with a 9 – 2 win to hold on to one of the two spots available in the American League. The Indians become the first team since the 1961 Yankees to record six four-game sweeps in one season.

Felix Hernandez, making his first appearance since suffering a strained oblique, sets a record for strikeouts in a start lasting four or fewer innings when he whiffs ten batters before the fifth frame in the Mariners’ 3-2 victory at Angel Stadium. The fans aren’t the only ones buzzing during King Felix’s performance as a swarm of bees in the outfield delays the contest for 23 minutes during the third inning.

Mariners left fielder Raul Ibanez’s 29th round-tripper, his 300th career home run, ties him with Ted Williams for the most hit in a season by a player who is 41 or older. The ‘Splendid Splinter’, in his final year as a major leaguer, hit that many in 1960 playing with the Red Sox.

The Pirates defeat the Reds, 4 – 2, behind A.J. Burnett’s 12-strikeout performance. Jason Grilli records his first save since going on the disabled list in late July to put the Bucs one game ahead of the Reds.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.