Braves Clinch NL East as Postseason Race Heats Up

The Atlanta Braves clinched the National League East title on Sunday after defeating the Houston Astros 4-2 to complete a three-game sweep.

Mike Yastrzemski hit a three-run home run during a four-run sixth inning to give Atlanta the lead and secure its seventh division title in nine seasons.

Yastrzemski’s homer came against Houston reliever Bryan King, who allowed four consecutive Braves batters to reach base without recording an out. The home run was Yastrzemski’s 12th of the season.

The Astros scored through home runs by Jose Altuve and Yainer Diaz but could not prevent the defeat.

Houston enters the final week of the regular season one game behind the Texas Rangers in the American League West.

Hunter Brown pitched five scoreless innings for Houston, allowing three hits and two walks. Atlanta starter Martin Perez gave up one run on six hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Elsewhere, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Boston Red Sox 5-1, with Jonny DeLuca and Chandler Simpson driving in two runs each. Victor Mesa Jr. also homered for Tampa Bay, which finished its home schedule with an MLB-best 55-26 record.

The Pittsburgh Pirates completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 4-3 victory. Rafael Flores Jr. hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, while Kansas City suffered its fourth straight loss.

The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the New York Mets 7-2 behind 6 1/3 strong innings from Cristopher Sanchez.

The victory kept Philadelphia four games ahead of Arizona in the race for the final National League wild-card spot.

The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-1 as Pete Crow-Armstrong hit his 45th home run of the season.

Crow-Armstrong also became the first center fielder in major-league history to record at least 40 home runs, 30 doubles and 30 stolen bases in one season.

The Milwaukee Brewers swept the Baltimore Orioles with a 3-0 victory and set a franchise record for regular-season wins.

The Brewers remain two games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the National League.

The Seattle Mariners defeated the Colorado Rockies 2-1, with rookie Kade Anderson pitching seven scoreless innings.

The victory kept Seattle in the postseason race, while Colorado moved closer to its fourth consecutive 100-loss season.

Toronto defeated Texas 7-2, with Kazuma Okamoto breaking a 2-2 tie with an RBI single in the fifth inning.

The Rangers retained their one-game lead over Seattle in the American League West despite the defeat.

The Arizona Diamondbacks kept their wild-card hopes alive with an 8-4 win over the New York Yankees. Nolan Arenado hit a grand slam, his third of the season, during Arizona’s five-run fifth inning.

The Minnesota Twins defeated the Los Angeles Angels 8-0, while the Cleveland Guardians edged the Athletics 1-0 to complete a series sweep and remain atop the American League Central.

The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants with a 3-1 victory. Emmet Sheehan struck out nine while allowing only one hit over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.

The San Diego Padres also completed a three-game sweep, defeating the Miami Marlins 7-3. Jake Cronenworth hit two home runs and drove in five runs, while Fernando Tatis Jr. also homered.

The Chicago White Sox defeated the Detroit Tigers 8-1 after a rain delay of nearly four hours. The loss eliminated Detroit from postseason contention.

With the regular season entering its final week, several teams remain involved in tightly contested division and wild-card races.

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