By the ninth inning, Phillies fans were preparing for the worst. The New York Yankees were at it again, chipping away at a dwindling lead and threatening to take away the Phils' World Series title right there at Citizens Bank Park. Desperate to hang on, somehow Chase Utley and the Phillies did. Derek Jeter grounded into a double play, Mark Teixeira struck out, and Philadelphia staved off the…
The chase for the AL Central championship once again is going to extra innings. Trying to save their seasons, the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins both won Sunday, leaving them all even for the division lead and forcing a one-game tiebreaker. They'll meet Tuesday at 5 p.m. EDT at the Metrodome in what could be the final baseball game at the Homer Hankie haven.
This should have been so easy for the Dodgers: Jonathan Broxton on the mound, a three-run lead in the ninth inning against the dismal Pirates and an NL West title to celebrate as soon as they closed it out. Instead, easy turned into excruciating as Los Angeles let a victory slip away when the majors' second-worst team pulled off a four-run rally aided by several defensive lapses.
The Colorado Rockies insist they're not feeling the squeeze as the NL wild-card race tightens around them. "We control our destiny still," shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said after the Rockies' 5-4 loss to the San Diego Padres on Thursday night trimmed their lead to 3 1/2 games over idle Atlanta.