NATIONAL LEAGUE
AFP, LOS ANGELES
The Los Angeles Dodgers finally secured the National League West Division title on Saturday by blanking Colorado 5-0 and snapping a five-game losing streak.
It was the second consecutive West Division crown for Los Angeles, who will face the St Louis Cardinals in the first round of the Major League Baseball playoffs.
“It took a little longer than we thought,” outfielder Juan Pierre said.
The win not only halted the losing skid, but it earned the Dodgers home field advantage against the Cardinals.
“This is what I was hoping for when I signed here,” catcher Brad Ausmus said. “To be a small piece of the puzzle.”
Nobody partied harder than the Dodgers after wrapping up their division title at Dodgers Stadium. The players started in the clubhouse, then moved their champagne celebration out onto the field where a group of fans watched and cheered from the stands.
“It never gets old,” manager Joe Torre said. “You do it with different people all the time. It is great to see all these men turn into little boys. We didn’t think it would come soon enough. We were on the brink last Sunday. I am just glad we finished it off tonight. It is very satisfying.”
It was the 94th win of the season for Los Angeles, who can’t open the playoffs against Colorado because a team cannot begin the post-season against a wild-card team from its division. Left handed pitcher Clayton Kershaw threw six scoreless innings as the Dodgers exploded for five runs in the seventh inning.
Pinch hitters Ronnie Belliard and Mark Loretta had RBI singles in the seventh.
“It felt good. To do this for your team is the best thing in the world,” Kershaw said. “It was fun. With a team like this all you want to do is perform your best. I got a smile on my face now, I don’t know what to say.”
The victory gave the Dodgers consecutive division titles for the first time since 1977-1978. It also marked the third time in four years that Los Angeles has reached the playoffs, something they hadn’t done since winning pennants in 1963, 1965 and 1966.
Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez finally had something to smile about on Saturday. He has had plenty of up and downs, starting out as the darling of Dodger fans, before being slapped with a 50-game suspension for failing a drug test.
“I am just happy to be a part of this,” Ramirez said. “This is like a family. I am just blessed. We going to go try to win it all. We have to live day-by-day, play hard and see what happens.”
Perhaps no one has struggled more than Ramirez during the recent losing skid.
He went 0-for-10 with eight strikeouts in one three-game stretch. He’s hitting just .216 (16-for-74) over September and October. In the 27 games Ramirez played before he was suspended, he hit .348 with six home runs and 20 RBIs. In the 75 games since his return, he’s hitting just .274 with just 13 home runs.
Saturday’s other results:
• Marlins 4, Phillies 3
• Brewers 5, Cardinals 4
• Nationals 6, Braves 4, 11 inns
• Cubs 5, Diamondbacks 0
• Mets 5, Astros 1
• Reds 8, Pirates 4
• Padres 2, Giants 0
AMERICAN LEAGUE
REUTERS, DETROIT, MICHIGAN
The Minnesota Twins caught the Detroit Tigers in the tight American League Central Division race on Saturday, leaving the two teams tied in the hunt for a playoff spot going into the final day of the regular season.
The challenging Twins squeezed past the Kansas City Royals and Cy Young Award contender Zack Greinke 5-4 to grab a share of the division lead when the Tigers lost to the Chicago White Sox 5-1.
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