September 26

German Marquez of the Rockies ties a modern major league record by striking out the first 8 batters he faces in a 14 – 0 win over the Phillies. Marquez now shares the mark with Jim Deshaies and Jacob deGrom. Colorado has won six straight and leapfrogs over the Dodgers in a tight NL West race.

The Cubs and Brewers both clinch a postseason slot with wins today, although which of the two teams will finish first in the NL Central and which will host the Wild Card Game remains up in the air, as only a half-game separates them.

2017 – In an otherwise meaningless game, Pirates OF Andrew McCutchen hits the first grand slam of his career off Kevin Gausman in the 2nd inning of a 10 – 1 Bucs win over the Orioles. It took McCutchen over 5,000 at-bats, during which he slugged 201 homers, before connecting for the first time with the bases loaded. He completes his night’s work with an RBI double in the 2nd, a single in the 5th after which he comes in to score, and a three-run homer in the 7th to finish with 8 RBIs, one shy of the franchise record.

The Cubs win their 100th game of the season by defeating the Pirates, 12 – 2. Javier Baez hits a grand slam and drives in 6 runs to lead the attack. It is the first 100-win season for the Cubbies since 1935.

The Marlins honor Jose Fernandez, killed in a boat crash a day earlier, before their game with the Mets and announce that his uniform number, 16, is being retired, then go on to beat the Mets, 7 – 3. Dee Gordon, known as scrap hitter, leads off the game with a home run to the upper deck, his first and only one of the year, while 1B Justin Bour legs out the first triple of his career in an emotional contest full of unusual happenings.

Unbeknownst to the Blue Jays at the time, the team technically clinched a postseason spot yesterday. The team and MLB, as the result of fans crunching numbers to discover the oversight, review the results and officially confirm the end of the longest playoff drought in North American professional sports, ending Toronto’s 22-year absence from the postseason which will be celebrated in a champagne-soaked clubhouse celebration after today’s 10-8 victory over Tampa Bay at the Roger Centre.

The Mets clinch their first NL East title and first postseason berth since 2006, when the team routs Cincinnati at the Great American Ball Park, 10-2. New York, needing only an 88-67 record to capture the flag, took advantage of the season-long woes of the heavily-favored Nationals.

The Diamondbacks continue their house-cleaning. One day after naming Dave Stewart as the team’s new GM, they fire manager Kirk Gibson. Bench coach Alan Trammell will complete the season as interim manager, even though he is also dismissed, his departure being only effective at the end of the season.

The Indians set a major league record for most strikeouts in a season when Corey Kluber records number 1,429 in a 1 – 0 win over the Rays. The record was set by the Tigers only last year. Kluber strikes out 11 in 8 innings to finish the year with 18 wins.

The Royals clinch a spot in the postseason for the first time since 1985 with a 3 – 1 win over the White Sox which ends the longest postseason drought in the majors. Following Detroit’s 11 – 4 loss to Minnesota, the Royals still have a shot at winning the AL Central title, trailing the Tigers by only one game.