2018 – The Red Sox’s magic number to clinch a third straight AL East title remains at 2 as they lose to the Yankees, 10 – 1, their second straight loss against their nearest pursuers. Luis Severino pitches 7 strong innings for his 18th win and 1B Luke Voit adds to his Cinderella story as he goes 4-for-4, homers twice and scores 4 runs to lead New York’s offence.

With a 1 – 0 win over Baltimore, the Red Sox tie a franchise record with their 15th extra-inning win of the season (against three losses). The only run of the game scores when Jackie Bradley Jr. crosses home plate on a wild pitch by Brad Brach with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 11th inning.

With over 300 games left to play in the season, Major League Baseball sets a new record for most home runs when Alex Gordon hits #5,964 for the season, eclipsing the mark set in 2000. If players maintain their pace over the remaining two weeks, the final total should be over 6,100.

The Giants face the Dodgers with both teams battling for a postseason slot and aces Clayton Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner opposing each other on the mound. Kershaw, recently back from a lengthy stay on the disabled list, gives up only one run in 6 innings, but Bumgarner is better, as he allows no runs on one hit while striking out 10 in 7 innings. However, he gets into a verbal clash with Dodgers RF Yasiel Puig at the end of the 7th, both benches clear, and when the 8th inning gets underway, it’s reliever Will Smith who is pitching. With Bumgarner out of the way, the Dodgers rally for two runs in the last two innings and walk off with a 2 – 1 win on Adrian Gonzalez’s run-scoring double in the 9th.

Former pitcher Curt Schilling and other officials of “38 Studios” agree to pay $2.5 million to the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation in settlement of a lawsuit over the failure of the video game design company. If approved by a judge, the settlement will close the case while Rhode Island taxpayers will still be on the hook for $28.2 million lost in the venture.

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.

Ichiro Suzuki goes 7 for 8 as the Yankees sweep a doubleheader with the Blue Jays, 4 – 2 and 2 – 1. Andy Pettitte makes his return to the mound from a broken fibula in winning the opener, while Derek Jeter collects his 200th hit of the season in the nitecap, tying Lou Gehrig who also recorded 200 hits eight times for the Yankees.

The Dodgers defeat the Nationals, 7 – 6, in the second game of a doubleheader with some help from a botched call. Matt Kemp is credited with a run scored in the 4th inning, giving Los Angeles a 6 – 0 lead, even though he crosses the plate after Adrian Gonzalez is tagged out at third base for the inning’s final out. The Nationals then manage to tie the score with a six-run 8th inning, but Kemp leads off the 9th with a solo homer off Tyler Clippard to account for the deciding run. Following a 3 – 1 win in the opener, a sweep of the twinbill would have clinched a playoff spot for Washington for the first time since moving to the nation’s capital in 2005.