CARLOS CARRASCO

Eddie Rosario's hot bat led the Atlanta Braves to a World Series matchup with the Houston Astros and earned him the NL Championship Series MVP award.

In the only playoff game of the night Thursday, the Atlanta Braves can win their first pennant in 22 years with a victory in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series at Dodger Stadium.

The Milwaukee Brewers clinched their second NL Central title in four years, beating the sloppy New York Mets 8-4 behind Willy Adames’s two-run homer and three RBIs.

Max Scherzer has dominated since being traded to the Dodgers, and tries to extend his success streak when he pitches at Cincinnati on Saturday in a matchup with playoff implications.

Aaron Judge tied it with his second homer of the game in the eighth inning, Mets infielder Javier Báez gave away the lead with an error a few at-bats later and the New York Yankees beat their crosstown rival 8-7 at Citi Field following a stirring ceremony on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The 26-year-old Mets' slugger reached the milestone in his 347th game, the second-fastest in major league history.

Miami Marlins leadoff batter Miguel Rojas and New York Mets counterpart Jonathan Villar each homered on the first pitch they saw Thursday night, the first time that’s happened in a major league game since at least 1985, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Max Scherzer faces a familiar NL East foe when his Dodgers go for a three-game sweep of the Mets in prime time.

Zack Wheeler pitched a two-hitter and struck out 11, Bryce Harper homered and the first-place Philadelphia Phillies finished off a three-game sweep for their eighth straight victory, 3-0 over the fading New York Mets.

Joey Votto homered for the seventh straight game, one shy of a major league record, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the New York Mets 6-2.

Mets ace Jacob deGrom is being shut down for two more weeks because of inflammation in his pitching elbow, making it unlikely he’ll rejoin the NL East leaders before September.

Time is running out for playoff contenders to bolster their rosters through a trade.

Jeff McNeil laced his second go-ahead hit in two days Monday night, when his RBI double in the fifth inning sent the New York Mets to a 1-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves and a doubleheader split.

Shohei Ohtani has done it all this season, from leading the majors in home runs to throwing 100 mph heat while starting the All-Star Game.

After more than 100 years, the Cleveland Indians are getting a new name — the team will be called the Guardians next season.

The second half of the major league baseball season begins with one game Thursday night when Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and the AL East-leading Red Sox visit Yankee Stadium.

Taijuan Walker took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, Brandon Nimmo provided a spark in his return from the injured list and the New York Mets beat the crosstown Yankees 8-3 to open a three-game Subway Series.

Mets ace Jacob deGrom gave up two runs for the first time this season and New York rallied after he exited, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 on Michael Conforto’s sacrifice fly in the ninth inning.

Shohei Ohtani is set to pitch for the Angels in Oakland — assuming he can get to the ballpark on time.

Noah Syndergaard was pulled from his minor league rehabilitation outing because of soreness in his pitching elbow Tuesday night, the latest setback for a New York Mets team ravaged by injuries.

Taijuan Walker allowed one hit in seven innings, the Mets scored three runs on bases-loaded walks and beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 on Thursday.

Francisco Lindor is off to a rough start with the New York Mets after signing a $341 million contract.

Jacob deGrom struck out a career-high 15, pitched a two-hitter and boosted the Mets' sagging offense with a go-ahead double from the No. 8 spot in the batting order, leading New York over the Washington Nationals 6-0.

Francisco Lindor and the New York Mets agreed to a $341 million, 10-year pact on the eve of opening day, terms that could keep the four-time All-Star in Queens for the rest of his career.

Lindor was eligible for free agency after this season and said this spring he wouldn't negotiate with the Mets on a long-term contract after opening day. New York added Lindor knowing he could walk after the 2021 season, but the team said it would try to negotiate a long-term pact. Lindor will retain his $22.3 million salary for 2021 before the contract kicks in for 2022. Only Mike Trout's $426.5 million, 12-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels and Mookie Betts' $365 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers are worth more. Lindor's deal is also by far the largest payout ever from the Mets, surpassing contracts for third baseman David Wright ($138 million), pitchers Jacob deGrom ($137.5 million) and Johan Santana ($137.5 million).

The reigning World Series champions already had a pair of Cy Young Award winners in Clayton Kershaw and David Price. Darvish has twice finished runner-up for a Cy Young Award, including last season when he was 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts. Lester is a three-time World Series champion, winning twice with Boston and once with the Cubs. He’s part of a rotation led by three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, 2019 World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg and lefty Patrick Corbin. Bradley was a Gold Glove winner in 2018 when the Red Sox won the World Series.

FILE - Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Taijuan Walker (99) throws to the Texas Rangers in the first inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, in this Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, file photo. The Mets made a late addition to their starting rotation, agreeing to a $20 million, two-year contract with right-hander Taijuan Walker, a person familiar with the negotiations said. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)NEW YORK – The Mets made a late addition to their starting rotation, agreeing to a $20 million, two-year contract with right-hander Taijuan Walker. Mets manager Luis Rojas cautioned the deal was not yet final but already was viewing the addition as a boost. The Mets have won just two World Series titles, in 1969 and 1986, and last won a pennant in 2015.

FILE - Minnesota Twins' Eddie Rosario hits the ball during a spring training baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals in Fort Myers, Fla., in this Monday, March 9, 2020, file photo. The Indians officially signed free agent outfielder Eddie Rosario, adding a quality player who pounded their pitchers in recent years. Rosario passed his physical on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, to finalize a one-year, $8 million contract for 2021. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)CLEVELAND – Free agent outfielder Eddie Rosario has joined the Cleveland Indians, adding a quality player who has haunted their pitchers in recent years. Rosario passed his physical on Thursday and finalized the $8 million, one-year contract he agreed to late last week.

The San Diego Padres are adding yet another pitcher to their rotation, agreeing to bring right-hander Musgrove to his hometown in a trade with the Pirates, according to a person familiar with the deal. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane, file)SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres brought right-hander Joe Musgrove to his hometown team Tuesday, adding yet another starting pitcher in a seven-player trade involving the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets. As part of the agreement, the Padres will send left-hander Joey Lucchesi to New York, and the Pirates will receive catcher Endy Rodríguez from the Mets. Musgrove won a World Series ring with Houston in 2017 before being sent to the Pirates in the trade that sent Gerrit Cole to the Astros in January 2018. Musgrove was the winning pitcher in Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers.

In this screen grab taken from video, Major League baseball player Francisco Lindor answers questions during a virtual press conference introducing him as the New York Mets new shortstop, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, in New York. (New York Mets via AP)NEW YORK – Francisco Lindor smiled widely for a full 40 minutes, enthralled to join a New York Mets team bulking up under new owner Steven Cohen. I’m not against it,” Lindor said in a news conference from Florida, wearing his new team’s royal blue cap. But the Indians did not think they could afford a multiyear contract with the 27-year-old, so they chose to make the trade. If Lindor agrees to a long-term deal, it likely would become the largest in Mets' history, surpassing the $138 million, eight-year agreement of captain David Wright that covered 2013-20.

The Cleveland Indians have agreed to trade four-time All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets, a person with direct knowledge of the deal told the Associated Press on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. The cash-strapped Indians sent Lindor and Carrasco to the Mets on Thursday for young infielders Andrés Giménez and Amed Rosario, and two minor league prospects: right-hander Josh Wolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene. "They did not come cheaply,” Mets president Sandy Alderson said of Lindor and Carrasco. One of his next big-ticket items figures to be trying to sign Lindor to a long-term contract, something the Indians couldn't do. New York also signed injured right-hander Noah Syndergaard to a $9.7 million, one-year deal, avoiding arbitration.

New York Yankees' Gio Urshela (29) and Mike Ford celebrate after the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Indians 10-9 in Game 2 of an American League wild-card baseball series, early Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)CLEVELAND – It took the New York Yankees nearly five hours on the field, carried them from Wednesday to Thursday and September into October to complete the sweep. "They weren’t going to lose.”At 4 hours, 50 minutes — even without two rain delays totaling another 76 minutes — it was draining. New York went 2-8 during a testy season series with top-seeded Tampa Bay, which won the AL East by seven games over the second-place Yankees. RECORD STOREIndians pitchers walked 12, tied for the most in any postseason game.

(AP Photo/David Dermer)CLEVELAND – On a night for debates, Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees made quite an opening statement. Staked to an early lead on Judge's homer, Cole showed why the Yankees shelled out $324 million for him in the offseason. Cole's strikeouts were the second-most by a New York pitcher in postseason history. Judge's first homer since coming off the injured list on Sept. 16 — and the first allowed by Bieber at home this season — gave the Yankees a stunning 2-0 lead. He'll face Tanaka, who pitched seven shutout innings in Game 3 of the 2017 ALDS against the Indians.

“We want to win the division.”Down 3-1 and held to one hit for eight innings, the Indians found more of the late-inning magic that has carried them this week. Delino DeShields — who broke up Pittsburgh's no-hit bid with a perfectly placed bunt single in the seventh — hit a one-out RBI single. Adam Plutko (2-2) picked up his first career win in relief for the Indians (34-25), who have clinched a playoff spot but want more. It's quite a turnaround for the Indians, who recently dropped eight straight from Sept. 8-16 and have been plagued with offensive inconsistency all season. Gregory Polanco hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning off Carrasco, but the Pirates couldn't hold on and dropped to 2-16 against AL Central teams.

Pittsburgh Pirates starter Mitch Keller was pulled after five innings despite not allowing a hit — and walking eight — against the Cleveland Indians on Friday night. The Indians, however, scored only once and then didn't capitalize in the third after Keller walked the bases full for the second time. Pirates manager Derek Shelton pulled Keller after 98 pitches — 49 were balls — and replaced him with reliever Nik Turley. Keller threw six no-hit innings in his previous start against St. Louis on Sept. 19 before leaving and has now thrown 11 straight hitless innings. Keller is the first NL pitcher with back-to-back no-hit outings of at least five innings since Johnny Vander Meer threw consecutive no-hitters in 1938, STATS said.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielders, from left, Jared Oliva, Bryan Reynolds and Gregory Polanco (25) celebrate the final out of a 7-0 win over the Chicago Cubs in a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)PITTSBURGH – Chad Kuhl pitched seven sharp innings and Colin Moran and Bryan Reynolds had home runs among their three hits each Thursday in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 7-0 victory over the slumping Chicago Cubs. The Cubs, who clinched a postseason berth Tuesday, are stumbling toward the playoffs with five losses in six games. Geoff Hartlieb and Blake Cederlind completed the shutout in which the Pirates’ staff was backed by four home runs. Mills lasted 3 2/3 innings and gave up four runs and eight hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)CLEVELAND – With one sweet swing, José Ramírez pushed the Cleveland Indians into the playoffs and strengthened his case for the AL MVP award. Ramírez hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning, giving Cleveland a 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox that clinched a postseason berth Tuesday night. Aces Lucas Giolito of the White Sox and Shane Bieber of the Indians face off Wednesday. Earlier in the inning, White Sox manager Rick Renteria and shortstop Tim Anderson were ejected by umpire Ángel Hernández after Luis Robert looked at a called third strike. Indians: RHP Jefry Rodriguez (right shoulder strain) is on the 45-day injured list and will not pitch again this season.

San Diego Padres' Jurickson Profar, right, reacts after scoring on a fielder's choice in the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, in San Diego. Prized rookie Deivi García (1-1, 3.06 ERA) pitches for the Yankees, who have won five straight following a 5-16 slide. New York expects to get third baseman Gio Urshela and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga back from the injured list. WILD WESTThe surging San Diego Padres go for their ninth straight victory and try to close within a half-game of the West-leading Dodgers when the NL's top two teams square off again at Petco Park. Lamb homered and doubled in his Athletics debut Monday, a 9-0 victory at Seattle that gave his new team a doubleheader split.

Prized rookie Deivi García (1-1, 3.06 ERA) pitches for the Yankees, who have won five straight following a 5-16 slide. New York expects to get third baseman Gio Urshela and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga back from the injured list. Sportico reported Cohen will own 95% of the team, with the rest staying with the Wilpon and Katz families. Former major league star Alex Rodriguez and fiancee Jennifer Lopez also tried to buy the team but dropped out of the bidding last month. Cohen also entered negotiations to buy the Mets last year, but the deal fell apart in February.

Cleveland Indians center fielder Delino DeShields greets teammates after their 8-5 over the Detroit Tigers in a baseball game, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)DETROIT The Cleveland Indians beat Detroit for the 20th straight time, nearing the major league record for most wins by a team over a single opponent, as Franmil Reyes hit two home runs to defeat the Tigers 8-5 Sunday. The Indians can match the record when they host Detroit in a three-game series next weekend. An ensuing argument earned Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire an ejection, the first of his season and 85th of his career. TRAINERS ROOMIndians: Reyes was hit by a pitch from Joe Jimenez with one out in the ninth.

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks delivers in the first inning in a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020, in Cleveland. The Cubs are 12-3 in their first season under manager David Ross, matching the club's start after 15 games in 1970. Hendricks hadn't faced the Indians since Nov. 2, 2016, when he started the dramatic finale as the Cubs beat the Indians in extra innings to clinch their first Series title since 1908. Indians: C Roberto Perez (shoulder) has been running and throwing at the team's alternate site in Lake County. Indians: Following their second off day in four days, Cleveland opens a three-game series in Detroit on Friday.

Bard had not pitched in the major leagues since 2013, and after his control and confidence deserted him, his playing career appeared over before he attempted a comeback this year. He was back in the bullpen for Cleveland in September and took the mound Sunday as a starter, beating Kansas City. TRIVIA TIMEThis season's opener between the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees on Thursday night was baseball's most-watched regular-season game in nine years. MILESTONESAlbert Pujols of the Angels became the fifth player to start a season opener in 20 straight years, joining Pete Rose, Carl Yastrzemski, Eddie Murray and Frank Robinson. TRIVIA ANSWERBrett Gardner had three hits and two steals for the Yankees in the 2011 game.

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco, top, delivers to Kansas City Royals' Whit Merrifield in the first inning in a baseball game Sunday, July 26, 2020, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)CLEVELAND Carlos Carrasco started again. Carrasco couldn't have imagined his journey when he took the mound on May 30, 2019, against the Chicago White Sox. Before Sunday's game, Indians manager Terry Francona appreciated the significance of Carrasco (1-0) starting again. Indians: Stay at home for three more games against the Chicago White Sox, with Aaron Civale starting for the Indians.

Its a little mix of everything, some worries, some excitement, Ohtani said through a translator. There wont be fans so that will be weird, too.Ohtani was the Angels designated hitter in the season opener Friday night and didnt play Saturday. Carrasco will face the Kansas City Royals in the finale of a three-game series in Cleveland. He hurt an oblique during rehab and never started again for Cleveland, which traded him to Texas in December. He was scratched from what was supposed to be his first start of the season on Saturday night because of a nerve issue.