American League teams that clinched first-round playoff byes:

No. 1 New York Yankees (93-66, AL East champion)

No. 2 Cleveland Guardians (92-67, AL Central champion)

American League wild-card matchups, at the moment:

No. 6 Detroit Tigers (85-74, third AL wild card) at No. 3 Houston Astros (86-73, AL West champ)

No. 5 Kansas City Royals (85-74, second AL wild card) at No. 4 Baltimore Orioles (88-71, first AL wild card)

National League teams that clinched first-round playoff byes:

No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers (95-64, NL West champion)

No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies (94-65, NL East champion)

National League wild-card matchups, at the moment:

No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks (88-71, third NL wild card) at No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers (91-68, NL Central champion)

No. 5 New York Mets (87-70, second NL wild card) at No. 4 San Diego Padres (91-68, first NL wild card)

DIVISION-BY-DIVISION BREAKDOWN

AL EAST

New York Yankees (93-66). Clinched the division title and a wild-card-round bye with a 10-1 win over the visiting Orioles on Thursday. One game ahead of the Guardians for the AL's best record entering a three-game series against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates that starts Friday.

Baltimore Orioles (88-71). Clinched a wild-card spot. Three games up on the Royals and Tigers with a magic number of one to seal the top wild card. Open a three-game series against the Twins on Friday in Minneapolis.

AL CENTRAL

Cleveland Guardians (92-67). Clinched division title. Trail the Yankees by one game for the best record in the AL. Open a three-game series against the visiting Astros on Friday.

Kansas City Royals (85-74). Tied with the Tigers for the second and third wild-card spots (Kansas City owns the tiebreaker) after beating the host Washington Nationals 7-4 on Thursday. Both Kansas City and Detroit are three games ahead of the Twins, and both own the tiebreaker over Minnesota. Open a three-game series at Atlanta on Friday.

Detroit Tigers (85-74). Tied with the Royals for the second and third wild-card spots (Kansas City owns the tiebreaker) after beating the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Thursday. Both Kansas City and Detroit are three games ahead of the Twins, and both own the tiebreaker over Minnesota. Open a three-game series against the visiting Chicago White Sox on Friday.

Minnesota Twins (82-77). Three games behind the Royals and Tigers, who hold the final two AL playoff spots, after losing to the visiting Miami Marlins 8-6 in 13 innings on Thursday. Can only make the postseason by sweeping a three-game series against the visiting Orioles, beginning Friday, and having either Kansas City or Detroit lose the final three games.

AL WEST

Houston Astros (86-73). Clinched division title and locked into the No. 3 seed in the AL playoffs. Close the regular season with three games at Cleveland, beginning Friday.

NL EAST

Philadelphia Phillies (94-65). Clinched the division title and a first-round bye. Trail the Dodgers one game for the NL's best record entering a three-game series at Washington that begins Friday.

New York Mets (87-70). Tied with the Diamondbacks for the second and third wild cards, with both teams one game up on the Braves. Start a three-game series at Milwaukee on Friday before heading to Atlanta for a makeup doubleheader on Monday.

Atlanta Braves (86-71). One game behind the Mets and Diamondbacks, who hold the second and third wild-card positions. Open a three-game home series against Kansas City on Friday ahead of a makeup doubleheader vs. the Mets on Monday.

NL CENTRAL

Milwaukee Brewers (91-68). Clinched division title and locked into the No. 3 NL seed. Close the regular season with a three-game home series against the Mets beginning on Friday.

NL WEST

Los Angeles Dodgers (95-64). Clinched the division by defeating the visiting Padres 7-2 on Thursday. Lead the Phillies by one game for the best record in the majors entering a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies beginning Friday in Denver.

San Diego Padres (91-68). Clinched a wild-card berth but eliminated from contention for the division title after losing 7-2 to the host Dodgers on Thursday. Lead the Mets and Diamondbacks by three games for the top wild card entering a three-game series at Arizona in Phoenix.

Arizona Diamondbacks (88-71). In a virtual tie with the Mets for the second and third wild cards, with the Braves one game behind. Both New York and Atlanta hold tiebreaker advantages over Arizona. Finish the regular season with three games against the visiting Padres, starting Friday.

Will Smith had a game-tying two-run homer and Mookie Betts added a two-run single in the seventh for the Dodgers (95-64). Ohtani went 3-for-5.

Los Angeles held off a second-half surge by the Padres, who clinched a playoff spot with a victory at Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The Dodgers' victory came at a cost as first baseman Freddie Freeman departed in the seventh inning after rolling his right ankle trying to beat out a ground ball to second base.

Luis Arraez and Xander Bogaerts each drove in a run for the Padres (91-68), who needed a three-game sweep at Los Angeles to have a chance at catching the Dodgers in the division but lost the final two contests in the series.

Dodgers starter Walker Buehler gave up one run on five hits over five innings in his final tune-up before the playoffs. He fanned one and walked one. Anthony Banda (3-2) came off the injured list to pitch 1 1/3 scoreless innings for the win.

Padres starter Joe Musgrove gave up two runs on five hits over 6 1/3 innings with one walk and six strikeouts. Tanner Scott (9-6) was charged with three runs, two earned, in two-thirds of an inning.

San Diego broke through first in the fifth inning when former Dodger David Peralta drew a one-out walk and went to third on a double by Kyle Higashioka. Arraez brought home Peralta on a ground ball to first base.

The Padres upped their lead to 2-0 in the sixth inning against Dodgers right-hander Evan Phillips when Jurickson Profar singled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Bogaerts.

Los Angeles finally got to Musgrove in the seventh inning. Max Muncy worked a leadoff walk and Smith hit a game-tying home run to center field, his 20th on the season and just his third in 18 September games.

Enrique Hernandez had a pinch-hit single and Andy Pages was awarded first base on catcher's interference before Ohtani hit a slow roller into right field for a 3-2 lead. Betts followed with his two-run double.

Pages hit a two-run home run for the Dodgers in the eighth, his 12th.

The Dodgers were in the midst of a five-run seventh inning to take a 5-2 lead when Freeman delivered a hard-hit grounder to the right side. Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth made the stop and threw to first baseman Luis Arraez, but the throw pulled Arraez off the bag.

Freeman twisted his body as he ran through the bag in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid the tag, then rolled the ankle and fell to the ground after the out was recorded.

A victory would clinch the Dodgers' 11th National League West title in 12 seasons.

Freeman is batting .282 this season with 22 home runs and 89 RBIs. In 15 seasons, the eight-time All-Star and 2020 NL MVP is a career .300 hitter in 2,032 games with 343 home runs and 1,232 RBIs for the Atlanta Braves (2010-21) and the Dodgers.

Freeman was replaced at first base in the eighth inning by Enrique Hernandez.

On a celebrity-filled day in which Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart threw out ceremonial first pitches and Barry Zito sang the national anthem, A's fans marked the historic event by recording the largest attendance -- 46,889 -- in major league history for a team playing its final game in its home city. The Montreal Expos held the previous mark of 31,395 in 2004.

The baseball gods shined on the hometown heroes, with Oakland's three runs coming on an infield out, a sacrifice fly and a flyball lost in the sun. JJ Bleday was credited with two RBIs for the Athletics.

Adolis Garcia and Nathaniel Lowe had RBIs for the Rangers, who were out-hit 9-5.

Tigers 4, Rays 3

Colt Keith drove in two runs, Justyn-Henry Malloy knocked in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly and streaking Detroit rallied past visiting Tampa Bay.

Matt Vierling reached base three times and scored twice for the Tigers, who overcame a three-run deficit. The Tigers moved closer to an American League wild-card playoff berth with their fifth straight win.

Brandon Lowe drove in two runs for the Rays. Starter Tyler Alexander held the Tigers scoreless over the first five innings, striking out six without a walk.

Brewers 5, Pirates 2

Aaron Civale logged six scoreless innings as Milwaukee downed host Pittsburgh in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Civale (8-9) yielded three hits while walking one and striking out five. Joey Ortiz went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run and Brice Turang finished with two RBIs for the Brewers (91-68), who are one victory away from matching their win total from a season ago.

Bryan De La Cruz clubbed a two-run homer as the Pirates fell for the ninth time in their past 13 games. Mitch Keller (11-12) gave up three runs on six hits in five innings.

Royals 7, Nationals 4

Pinch hitter Adam Frazier delivered a tiebreaking two-run single in the top of the ninth as visiting Kansas City inched closer to a wild-card berth by completing a three-game sweep of Washington.

Hunter Renfroe hit a home run and Salvador Perez had two hits and an RBI for the Royals, whose magic number to clinch a playoff spot is two. Kris Bubic (1-1) pitched a scoreless eighth and Lucas Erceg tossed a perfect ninth to notch his 14th save.

Luis Garcia Jr. homered for Washington, which has lost four straight games and nine of its last 10. Kyle Finnegan (3-8) entered in the ninth and was tagged for three runs on two hits and three walks before being pulled with two outs.

White Sox 7, Angels 0

Andrew Vaughn and Lenyn Sosa both delivered two RBIs during a seven-run fifth inning and Chris Flexen pitched 6 1/3 shutout innings as host Chicago topped Los Angeles to earn a series sweep.

Chicago (39-120) again avoided surpassing the expansion 1962 New York Mets for the most single-season losses in Major League Baseball since 1901. A mark for futility fell upon the Angels, however, as Los Angeles (63-96) set a club record for losses in a season, breaking a tie with the 1968 and 1980 teams.

Chicago rolled behind its largest rally of the year. The White Sox sent 12 batters to the plate in the fifth, which featured a pair of hits from Dominic Fletcher.

Rockies 10, Cardinals 8

Ryan McMahon hit a tiebreaking double in a five-run eighth inning, and Colorado used a two-out rally to beat St. Louis in Denver.

Charlie Blackmon homered and drove in three runs for the Rockies. Angel Chivilli (2-3) got the win, and Seth Halvorsen picked up his second save.

Lars Nootbaar and Paul Goldschmidt hit back-to-back home runs and Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages also went deep for the Cardinals. Ryan Fernandez (1-6) took the loss.

Otto Lopez also had an RBI double during a three-run 13th for the Marlins (59-100), who won the decisive game of the three-game series. Miami's Jesus Sanchez had three hits and Jake Burger finished 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.

Brooks Lee hit a two-run double and Carlos Correa went 3-for-5 with a solo home run for Minnesota.

The extra-innings loss puts the Twins three games back in the American League wild-card playoff race with only three games left in the regular season. That means Minnesota (82-77) will have to sweep the Baltimore Orioles this weekend and either the Kansas City Royals (85-74) or the Detroit Tigers (85-74) would have to be swept for the Twins to sneak into the postseason.

Marlins right-hander Anthony Maldonado (1-1) earned his first career victory by pitching two innings of scoreless relief. Right-hander Darren McCaughan picked up his first career save after allowing one unearned run in the bottom of the 13th.

Twins right-hander Scott Blewett (1-1) took his first career loss. He gave up three runs (two earned) on two hits in 1 2/3 innings.

The score was tied 4-4 after nine innings and 5-5 after 10 innings.

Miami finally broke through against Blewett in the 13th. Lopez hit a one-out double to drive in Dane Myers from second base and make it 6-5.

The Marlins then loaded the bases with two outs for Conine, whose single to center off Justin Topa drove in Lopez and Xavier Edwards and increased the lead to 8-5.

The Twins got back one run in the bottom of the 13th on Byron Buxton's RBI groundout to shortstop. Correa grounded out to the pitcher in the next at-bat to end the game.

Minnesota squandered multiple opportunities in the late innings.

In the bottom of the 11th, the Twins had the bases loaded and one out.

The Marlins brought in a five-man infield, and Royce Lewis grounded into a rare 8-2 play when center fielder Javier Sanoja stationed near second base fielded the ball and threw home for the forceout. Carlos Santana flied out to center in the next at-bat to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 12th, Minnesota had runners on first and second with no outs. Ryan Jefferson popped up a bunt, and Santana was doubled off second base on the play. Willi Castro then grounded out to first.

The Yankees (93-66) wrapped up their second division title in three seasons and third in seven seasons under manager Aaron Boone, securing the crown with three games remaining.

New York also clinched a first-round playoff bye and will open a best-of-five division series on Oct. 5. The Yankees moved a game ahead of the Cleveland Guardians (92-67) for the best record in the AL.

Giancarlo Stanton homered and drove in four runs for the Yankees, who scored nine runs against Baltimore's bullpen.

New York ace Gerrit Cole (8-5) allowed two hits, both singles, in 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out five and walked one before exiting to a standing ovation.

Cole did not allow a hit until Ramon Urias singled to right field with two outs in the fifth. He allowed a leadoff single to James McCann in the sixth but ended the inning by fanning Anthony Santander on a rising 98 mph fastball to maintain a 1-0 lead.

Judge matched his longest home run streak (also accomplished in 2020) when he connected for a two-run shot against Bryan Baker with one out in the seventh inning for a 9-0 lead.

Stanton gave Cole a 1-0 lead by hitting a slider from Baltimore ace Corbin Burnes (15-9) into the left field seats with one out in the second.

Stanton increased the margin to 5-0 by hammering a first-pitch fastball from Cionel Perez for a three-run double to center field in the sixth. Stanton's double occurred after Austin Wells worked out a bases-loaded walk to start the six-run inning.

Anthony Rizzo increased New York's lead to 7-0 by hitting a two-run double off the right field wall against Baker.

New York's Alex Verdugo added a homer in the eighth after entering the game as a defensive replacement in left field.

Burnes allowed one run on two hits in five innings. He struck out nine, walked one and was pulled after 69 pitches to preserve him for Baltimore's playoff opener in the best-of-three wild-card round on Tuesday.

Emmanuel Rivera lifted a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth for the Orioles before Cedric Mullins made the final out on a grounder.

The Orioles (88-71) lead the Kansas City Royals (85-74) and the Detroit Tigers (85-74) by three games in the wild-card race, with three games remaining.

In corresponding moves, the Dodgers recalled right-hander Ben Casparius from Triple-A Oklahoma City and optioned catcher Hunter Feduccia to Triple-A.

Graterol will miss the beginning of the Dodgers' postseason run, whether they start in the wild-card round or the National League Divisional Series. Los Angeles has a three-game lead on San Diego in the NL West and a magic number of two to clinch the division, meaning a win Thursday's series finale with the Padres would do the trick.

Graterol, 26, is one of the Dodgers' top bullpen arms but has endured an injury-plagued 2024 season.

After missing the first half of the season with a shoulder injury, Graterol finally made his season debut Aug. 6 and threw eight pitches before straining a hamstring and returning to the IL. He returned on Sept. 10 and tossed seven scoreless innings in six appearances in September before his shoulder flared up again.

Graterol has a lifetime 2.78 ERA in 188 games (five starts) for the Minnesota Twins (2019) and Dodgers (2020-24).

Barnes, 34, was placed on the IL on Sept. 16 due to a fractured left big toe. The Dodgers' No. 2 catcher has appeared in 52 games this season and batted .261 with one homer and 11 RBIs.

Casparius, 25, will begin his third stint with the big-league club after making relief appearances for the Dodgers on Aug. 31 and Sept. 22. He earned the win in his major league debut with one scoreless inning against Arizona and pitched three innings for the Dodgers against Colorado on Sunday before being sent back to the minors.

Feduccia, 27, appeared in his first five MLB games earlier this season, most recently on Saturday. He's batted 4-for-12 with one RBI.

In other moves, the Diamondbacks recalled outfielder Alek Thomas from Triple-A Reno and optioned rookie righty Yilber Diaz and lefty Blake Walston to Reno.

Nelson, 26, has not pitched since Sept. 8. He experienced some shoulder discomfort during a throwing session on Sept. 14 and was placed on the injured list, retroactive to Sept. 11.

He is 10-6 with a 4.33 ERA, 34 walks and 125 strikeouts in 147 2/3 innings over 27 games (25 starts). In parts of three seasons with Arizona, Nelson is 19-15 with a 4.62 ERA, 86 walks and 237 strikeouts in 310 innings over 59 games (55 starts).

Thomas, 24, is batting .191 (18-for-94) with three homers and 17 RBIs in 37 games with the Diamondbacks this year.

Diaz, 24, made his major league debut on July 8 and was 1-1 with a 3.81 ERA, 12 walks and 19 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings over seven games (four starts).

Walston, 23, made his big-league debut on May 1 and was 1-0 with a 4.42 ERA, 10 walks and 18 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings over seven games (two starts).

On a celebrity-filled day in which Rickey Henderson and Dave Stewart threw out ceremonial first pitches and Barry Zito sang the National Anthem, A's fans marked the historic event by recording the largest attendance - 46,889 - in major-league history for a team playing its final game in its home city. The Montreal Expos held the previous mark of 31,395 in 2004.

The baseball gods shined on the hometown heroes, with Oakland's three runs coming on an infield out, a sacrifice fly and a flyball lost in the sun.

The first two runs came in the third inning after the A's loaded the bases against Rangers starter Kumar Rocker (0-2) on an infield single by Jacob Wilson and a pair of station-to-station hits by Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker.

JJ Bleday brought home the first run with a fielder's choice grounder to second, after which Shea Langeliers' fly to deep left allowed Butler to jog home.

The A's made it 3-0 in the fifth when Wilson, who had singled and advanced to second on an error by left fielder Wyatt Langford, was able to score when Langford lost Bleday's routine two-out flyball in the sun. The play was ruled a hit, giving Bleday a second RBI.

Rocker, who also was seeking his first big-league win, was pulled at that point, charged with three runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out two without issuing a walk.

The Rangers (75-84) ended Ginn's shutout bid and knocked him from the game in the sixth on a two-out RBI single by Adolis Garcia. Nathaniel Lowe followed with an RBI infield out against A's reliever T.J. McFarland, closing the gap to 3-2.

Ginn (1-1), who was making just his sixth big-league start, was charged with both runs. He allowed five hits and two walks in his 5 1/3 innings, striking out two.

The Oakland bullpen quieted the Rangers and excited the crowd from there, with Tyler Ferguson and Michel Otanez combining to retire five of the six men they faced before Miller took over with two outs in the eighth.

The Oakland closer stranded the potential tying run at second by getting Garcia on a comebacker to end the eighth, before throwing a 1-2-3 ninth for his 28th save, after which he and his teammates stayed on the field to salute the fans as manager Mark Kotsay addressed the crowd.

The win gave the A's (69-90) an all-time 2,492-2,000-1 home record in Oakland. The game did not feature a home run, meaning the Rangers' Garcia will go down as having hit the last one in the A's Oakland history, a third-inning blast on Wednesday night.

Wilson and Rooker had two hits apiece for the A's, whose previous high in home attendance was 37,551 for the rival San Francisco Giants in August.

Josh Smith's third-inning double was the only extra-base hit for the Rangers, who were out-hit 9-5.

Charlie Blackmon homered and drove in three runs for Colorado, which began the comeback after Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-6) retired the first two batters of the eighth.

With Colorado trailing 8-5, Jake Cave tripled and scored on Aaron Schunk's second single of the day. Blackmon walked, Ezequiel Tovar tied the game with a double to center and McMahon doubled to right to score Tovar. Michael Toglia capped the rally with a double off the wall in center.

Toglia finished with three hits and McMahon, Tovar, Cave and Schunk contributed two hits apiece. Angel Chivilli (2-3) pitched one inning of relief and Seth Halvorsen picked up his second save for the Rockies (61-98).

The comeback spared starter Kyle Freeland the loss after he allowed six runs -- four earned -- on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. St. Louis starter Kyle Gibson gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits in four innings.

Lars Nootbaar and Paul Goldschmidt hit back-to-back home runs and Ivan Herrera and Pedro Pages also went deep for the Cardinals (81-78). Nootbaar, Jordan Walker and Victor Scott II finished with two hits apiece for St. Louis.

Nootbaar and Goldschmidt homered back to back in the first to give the Cardinals a 2-0 lead. It was Nootbaar's 11th of the season and the 22nd for Goldschmidt.

Colorado answered in the bottom of the inning on Toglia's RBI single and Nolan Jones' run-scoring double.

St. Louis struck again in the second. Scott singled and scored when Jones misplayed Masyn Winn's drive to left. Nootbaar drove in Winn with a double, and Jones' second error of the inning, on Goldschmidt's liner to left, allowed Nootbaar to score and make it 5-2.

Blackmon hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning, his 12th, and he tied it in the fourth with a sacrifice fly.

Herrera's solo homer, his fifth of the season, put the Cardinals back in front 6-5 in the fifth, and Pages' two-run shot in the eighth, his seventh of the year, made it 8-5.

"I'm just going to be a little more cautious and careful with (my recovery)," Acuna said Wednesday, per MLB.com. "If the team and the doctors tell me I'm ready to go and I go out there and I don't feel good, or something's bothering me, then I will say something."

Acuna sustained the injury while running the bases against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on May 26.

He was batting .250 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 49 games this season after winning his first National League MVP Award in 2023. Acuna belted 41 homers and stole 73 bases last year to post the first 40-70 season in league history.

His historic campaign came two years after he sustained a torn right ACL in July 2021 and missed the rest of that season, which culminated in the Braves' most recent World Series title.

Having sustained two major knee injuries less than three years apart, Acuna admitted he may not be as electric on the basepaths once he returns.

"We're really going to focus on my hitting and fielding and anything I can do to help the team win," he said, per MLB.com. "In regards to running and stealing those bases, I don't know if I'll be able to steal the 40 or 50 bags as easily. I think that's still to be seen. But yeah, I just don't know how that's going to play out."

Acuna, 26, is a career .289 hitter with a .904 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He has tallied 165 home runs, 417 RBIs and 196 stolen bases in 722 games in parts of seven seasons, all with Atlanta.

The Braves, who are currently battling the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks for two wild-card spots, open next season at the San Diego Padres on March 27.

Chicago (39-120) again avoided surpassing the expansion 1962 New York Mets for the most single-season losses in Major League Baseball since 1901.

A mark for futility fell upon the Angels, however, as Los Angeles (63-96) set a club record for losses in a season, breaking a tie with the 1968 and 1980 teams.

Swept 24 times this season, the White Sox collected just their second home sweep and first since taking three in a row from Tampa Bay from April 26-28.

Chicago rolled behind its largest rally of the year. The White Sox sent 12 batters to the plate in the fifth, which featured a pair of hits from Dominic Fletcher.

Vaughn opened the scoring against Angels starter Tyler Anderson with a two-run single and scored when Sosa followed with a two-run double. Five straight White Sox reached base during one sequence. Bryan Ramos, Zach DeLoach and Fletcher also drove in runs.

Los Angeles managed six hits, all singles. Logan O'Hoppe went 2-for-4.

Flexen allowed a leadoff single to Taylor Ward but erased him on Zach Neto's double-play grounder to third base one batter later. The veteran right-hander retired the next eight batters before Neto singled with one out in the fourth.

Flexen (3-15) won for the first time since May 8. He spaced five hits, one walk and seven strikeouts over a season-high-tying 6 1/3 innings.

Anderson (10-15) allowed five runs (four earned) and four hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked three, struck out two and hit one batter.

Vaughn led the White Sox attack with three hits. Sosa, DeLoach and Fletcher had two apiece.

Neto left the game with right shoulder irritation.

Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel, who left Wednesday's loss with a lower right leg contusion after fouling a pitch off his leg, was out of the lineup.

Chicago took the season series against Los Angeles 4-2.

From his courtroom in Puerto Plata, Judge Pascual Valenzuela ruled there was enough evidence against Franco to warrant a trial. No date was set for what will be a bench trial.

Franco, 23, was two-thirds of the way through an All-Star season for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023 when he was placed on administrative leave last August as officials in the Dominican Republic launched an investigation into allegations of a sexual relationship with a minor. He has not returned to the Rays.

Charges were filed this past July, and the Rays moved Franco to the restricted list, which came without pay. Under an agreement reached with the MLB Players' Association, Franco would be paid his salary while on administrative leave, but he would not receive any money should he be charged.

According to ESPN, Franco faces up to 20 years in prison for charges of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor and human trafficking.

He is also under investigation by Major League Baseball.

Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million contract extension with the Rays in November 2001. He was due to earn $2.45 million in each of 2023 and 2024, with the value rising annually until the yearly pay reached $25.45 million in 2028 and through the life of the contract.

ESPN reported that also Thursday, the father of the girl involved in the case reached an agreement to withdraw a complaint he had filed against Franco. Terms were not disclosed.

Max Matus is seeking an injunction to stop the auction, scheduled to be conducted beginning Friday by Goldin Auctions.

Matus said he was in the crowd at loanDepot Park in Miami, celebrating his 18th birthday on Sept. 19, when the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar hit the historic home run in a 20-4 win over the Marlins. In the game, Ohtani homered three times and stole two bases to become the first player in baseball history to hit the 50 home run/50 stolen base in a season milestone.

In the lawsuit, Matus contends he grabbed the ball in his left hand after it went over the left-field fence. It was briefly in his possession before a man identified as Chris Belanski "wrapped his legs around Max's arm and used his hands to wrangle the ball out of Max's hand, stealing the ball for himself."

The suit names the auction house, Belanski and Kelvin Ramirez, a Belanski friend, as defendants in the case filed in Florida's 11th Judicial Circuit Court in Dade County.

The filing includes photos taken by other fans that Matus contends support his claim, including one that shows Belanski showing off the ball in front of a stunned Matus.

Goldin, which has set the opening bid at $500,000, told collectible media site cllct that it intends to go through with the auction. Anyone who wants to buy the ball outright can do so for $4.5 million until Oct. 9.

"We are aware of the case that has been filed," a Goldin spokesperson told cllct. "Having reviewed the allegations and images included in the lawsuit, and publicly available video from the game, Goldin plans to go live with the auction of the Ohtani 50-50 ball. While Goldin has been named as a party in the case, there are no allegations of wrongdoing by the company."

Matus' case also asks the court to order that the ball be kept in a secure location and to prevent Goldin, Belanski or Ramirez from selling it.

"Max has suffered irreparable harm because of the nature of the unique, irreplaceable 50/50 Ball," the lawsuit reads. "Ohtani is currently the best baseball player in the country, and this ball represents a new record established by Ohtani. As a result, there is no adequate remedy at law that can replace this unique and extraordinary 50/50 Ball."

The Tigers (85-74) moved closer to an American League wild card playoff berth with their fifth straight win. Detroit stands 2 1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins, who play Thursday night.

Matt Vierling reached base three times and scored twice for the Tigers, who overcame a three-run deficit.

Beau Brieske (4-4) tossed two innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win. Jason Foley got the last three outs for his 27th save.

Detroit starter Reese Olson gave up two runs and four hits in four innings.

Brandon Lowe drove in two runs for the Rays (78-81). Starter Tyler Alexander held the Tigers scoreless over the first five innings.

Neither team had a baserunner in the first two innings. That changed in the top of the third. Ben Rortvedt and Taylor Walls had one-out singles and moved up on a groundout. Lowe then lined a single past second baseman Keith, allowing both runners to score.

Parker Meadows blooped a double with two out in the bottom of the inning. Alexander then struck out Andy Ibanez.

Tampa Bay increased its lead to 3-0 in the fifth. Walls ripped a triple down the right field line off Casey Mize. With Christopher Morel at bat, Walls scored on a wild pitch.

The Tigers had two baserunners in the bottom of the inning. Trey Sweeney and Meadows grounded singles up the middle but Ibanez flied out to leave them stranded.

Detroit broke through in the sixth. Vierling drew a two-out walk off Hunter Bigge and Keith followed with a triple toward the right field corner. Pinch hitter Kerry Carpenter smacked a single to bring home Keith and make it 3-2.

The Tigers took the lead with Garrett Cleavinger (7-5) on the mound in the eighth. Riley Greene singled and moved up on a wild pitch. Vierling drew another walk before Keith lined a single to center, bringing home Greene. Vierling scored on Malloy's sacrifice fly to center.

Hunter Renfroe hit a home run and Salvador Perez had two hits and an RBI for Kansas City (85-74), whose magic number to clinch a playoff spot is two.

The Royals close the regular season with a three-game series at the Atlanta Braves.

Kris Bubic (1-1) pitched a scoreless eighth and Lucas Erceg tossed a perfect ninth to notch his 14th save.

Luis Garcia Jr. homered for Washington (69-90) which has lost four straight games and nine of its last 10.

Kyle Finnegan (3-8) entered in the ninth and was tagged for three runs on two hits and three walks before being pulled with two outs.

Finnegan walked pinch hitter MJ Melendez and Michael Massey to start the ninth with the game tied 4-4. Massey and pinch runner Dairon Blanco advanced on Kyle Isbel's sacrifice bunt before Frazier drove them in with a soft single to left.

Frazier stole second and later scored on Perez's two-out single.

Washington scored an unearned run in the first to take a 1-0 lead and snap a 31-inning scoreless inning streak, one off the franchise record.

Dylan Crews reached first when second baseman Maikel Garcia dropped a routine popup. Crews advanced to third on a single by James Wood and then scored on a fielder's choice.

The run also snapped a franchise record 26-inning scoreless streak by Royals pitchers.

Kansas City tied it, 1-1, in the second when Renfroe belted his 14th home run, a 424-foot drive to center. Renfroe's blast was the Royals' first homer since Sept. 16, snapping a seven-game drought.

The visitors took a 4-1 lead in the third, stringing together a leadoff walk with five consecutive singles, including RBI hits by Tommy Pham, Bobby Witt Jr. and Yuli Gurriel.

The Nationals pulled even at 4-4 in the bottom of the third on Garcia Jr.'s 17th home run, a 400-foot drive that plated Wood and Juan Yepez.

Kansas City starter Michael Wacha allowed three runs on five hits over five innings. Washington's Patrick Corbin gave up four runs on six hits over 5 1/3 frames.

Civale (8-9) yielded three hits while walking one and striking out five. He is 6-1 with a 2.57 ERA over his past nine starts.

Joey Ortiz went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run and Brice Turang finished with two RBIs for Milwaukee (91-68), which is one victory away from matching its win total from a season ago.

Devin Williams worked around a double in the ninth to notch his 14th save of the year.

Bryan De La Cruz clubbed a two-run homer as Pittsburgh (74-85) fell for the ninth time in its past 13 games.

Mitch Keller (11-12) got the start for the Pirates and lasted five innings. He gave up three runs on six hits, walking two and fanning six.

Sal Frelick doubled to open the fifth, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Ortiz and scored on a double by Eric Haase to put the Brewers up 2-0. Turang followed with an RBI single.

Run-scoring doubles by Blake Perkins and Ortiz made it 5-0 an inning later.

Nick Mears took over on the mound for Civale at the start of the home seventh. Making his first appearance since Aug. 22, Mears issued a leadoff walk to Nick Gonzales before De La Cruz sent a high fastball over the wall in right for his 21st home run of the season.

Milwaukee opened the scoring in the third when Ortiz scored on Turang's groundout.

It was a brutal day on the basepaths for Pittsburgh center fielder Oneil Cruz, who was picked off first to end the third inning before another blunder in the eighth.

Cruz was at first with one out when Andrew McCutchen grounded out to short. He moved up to second on the play and overran the bag, seemingly under the impression that the frame was over. Brewers first baseman Rhys Hoskins noticed that Cruz was in no man's land and fired to second to nab him, completing an inning-ending double play.

The 27-year-old reliever last pitched on Aug. 22 before being sidelined with forearm inflammation.

Mears is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in 11 bullpen appearances since being acquired in a July 27 trade with the Colorado Rockies.

He is 2-6 with a 5.11 ERA in 104 career games (zero starts) with the Pittsburgh Pirates (2020-22), Rockies (2023-24) and Brewers.

Milwaukee optioned right-hander Kevin Herget to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds in a corresponding transaction.

Castellanos, Trea Turner and Kody Clemens homered for Philadelphia (94-65), which clinched a first-round bye in the National League playoffs with their win combined with the Milwaukee Brewers' loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Phillies remain a half-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (94-64) in the race for the NL's top seed after the Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 4-3 later Wednesday.

Philadelphia wrapped up its home schedule with a major league-best 54-27 home record despite impressive performances from Chicago's Isaac Paredes and Nico Hoerner. Paredes went 4-for-5 for the Cubs (81-78), while Hoerner hit a pair of home runs -- his sixth and seventh of the campaign.

Dodgers 4, Padres 3

Shohei Ohtani drove in two runs, including a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning, as Los Angeles moved to the cusp of another National League West title after a victory over visiting San Diego.

Teoscar Hernandez and Gavin Lux each drove in a run as the Dodgers moved three games ahead of the Padres and reduced their magic number for their 11th division title in 12 seasons to two. The Dodgers can win the West with a victory over the Padres on Thursday.

Alex Vesia (5-4) pitched an inning to earn the win and Michael Kopech handled the ninth for his 15th save. Fernando Tatis Jr. homered for the Padres. Jeremiah Estrada (6-3) allowed a run in two-thirds of an inning.

Tigers 7, Rays 1

Spencer Torkelson homered and drove in three runs and red-hot Detroit moved closer to an American League wild-card berth with a win over visiting Tampa Bay.

Parker Meadows had three hits, including a solo homer, as Detroit won for the eighth time in nine games. Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler each added two hits and an RBI. Detroit starter Keider Montero gave up one run and four hits in 2 2/3 innings.

Tampa Bay had yielded three runs or fewer in eight consecutive games prior to Wednesday. Zack Littell gave up three runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1

Jonatan Clase collected three hits, including his first career major league home run, as Toronto defeated visiting Boston.

Alejandro Kirk added three hits and three RBIs for the Blue Jays, who ended a five-game losing streak and prevented a three-game sweep. The Red Sox had their four-game winning streak end and saw their faint playoff hopes vanish.

Toronto right-hander Kevin Gausman (14-11) allowed one run, four hits and three walks while striking out three in six innings. Boston right-hander Richard Fitts (0-1) gave up four runs, six hits and two walks with two strikeouts in five innings.

Diamondbacks 8, Giants 2

Zac Gallen struck out a season-best 11 in six innings and pinch hitter Pavin Smith slugged a three-run homer to help Arizona record a victory over San Francisco at Phoenix.

Gallen (14-6) gave up one run, two hits and two walks while winning his fifth consecutive decision. Arizona ended a three-game losing streak and moved one percentage point behind the New York Mets in the battle for the National League's second and third wild-card spots. Geraldo Perdomo had two hits and a walk for the Diamondbacks.

Heliot Ramos had two hits and an RBI for the Giants, who had a season-best five-game winning streak halted. San Francisco's Mason Black (1-5) gave up four runs and five hits over 2 2/3 innings.

Orioles 9, Yankees 7

Gunnar Henderson collected three hits and Colton Cowser drove in three runs as visiting Baltimore hung on for a victory over New York, which was unable to clinch the American League East for the second straight night.

A night after clinching a playoff berth, Baltimore has a magic number of one to seal the top AL wild card. Henderson led off the game with an infield single as the Orioles scored three times and had six hits in the first inning against New York emergency starter Marcus Stroman. The Orioles finished with 17 hits and went 8-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

New York saw its magic number for clinching a second division title in three seasons remain at one. Juan Soto slugged a two-run homer in the fifth. Aaron Judge homered for the fourth straight game to up his major-league-leading total to 57.

Mariners 8, Astros 1

George Kirby pitched six strong innings, Julio Rodriguez joined the 20-20 club and Seattle kept pace in the playoff race with a win in Houston in the decisive game of a three-game series.

Seattle remained 2 1/2 games behind the final two American League wild-card spots after the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers both won later Wednesday. The Minnesota Twins also posted a victory on Wednesday, and they are just two games back of Kansas City and Detroit.

Astros rookie Shay Whitcomb committed four errors after replacing veteran Alex Bregman at third base in the fourth inning. Bregman, an impending free agent for Houston (86-73), was pulled from his potential last regular-season home game and received a nice ovation as he exited.

Guardians 5, Reds 2

Jose Ramirez hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning and Cleveland beat visiting Cincinnati to complete a two-game sweep.

Four Guardians pitchers retired the first 18 Reds batters. Cleveland's Hunter Gaddis (6-3) blew a lead in the top of the eighth but earned the win. Emilio Pagan (4-5) served up Ramirez's homer.

Cincinnati failed to score after loading the bases with no outs in the ninth against Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, who recorded his franchise-record 47th save.

Royals 3, Nationals 0

Robbie Grossman supplied a two-run single, and visiting Kansas City survived the early departure of starter Michael Lorenzen to beat Washington.

Michael Massey and Salvador Perez had two hits each for the Royals, who remain tied with the Detroit Tigers for the second and third American League wild cards. Lorenzen exited after 2 1/3 innings due to leg fatigue that he hopes is minor.

Daniel Lynch IV (2-0) tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings for the win as six Royals pitchers combined on the two-hit shutout. Lucas Erceg pitched the ninth for his 13th save.

Pirates 2, Brewers 1

Luis L. Ortiz allowed one run on four hits over seven innings and Liover Peguero drove in two runs in his season debut to lead host Pittsburgh past Milwaukee.

Peguero, who played a combined 60 games with Pittsburgh in 2022 and ‘23, had a two-run double while Isiah Kiner-Falefa had two hits for Pittsburgh. Those were the Pirates' only three hits.

Jake Bauers hit a home run for Milwaukee, which had a two-game winning streak snapped. The Brewers were eliminated from contention for the National League's two first-round playoff byes. They will be the No. 3 seed in the NL playoffs and will host a wild-card series next week.

White Sox 4, Angels 3 (10 innings)

Andrew Benintendi's RBI single in the 10th inning led host Chicago to a victory over Los Angeles as the White Sox averted a modern major-league-record 121st loss in a season for the second straight day.

Jose Quijada (2-1) struck out Luis Robert Jr. to begin the 10th inning before Benintendi's single to left-center field ended the game. Jared Shuster (2-4) pitched one scoreless inning for the win.

Korey Lee launched a two-run homer and Lenyn Sosa added a solo shot for the White Sox (38-120), who remained tied with the expansion 1962 New York Mets for the most single-season losses since 1901.

Twins 8, Marlins 3

Carlos Santana hit a three-run double to cap a five-run seventh inning and Minnesota pulled away from Miami in Minneapolis.

The Twins (82-76) kept within two games of the final American League wild-card spot with four to play. The Marlins reached 100 losses for the fourth time in franchise history, joining teams from 1998 (108 losses), 2013 (100) and 2019 (105).

Trevor Larnach went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Byron Buxton hit a solo home run for the hosts. Jake Burger went 2-for-5 with a double, a homer and three RBIs to lead Miami.

Rangers 5, A's 1

Wyatt Langford ignited a three-run first inning with a home run and Texas turned out the lights on 57 years of night baseball at the Oakland Coliseum with a victory over the Athletics.

Rangers relievers Matt Festa (6-1), Andrew Chafin and Jose Leclerc held the A's scoreless on just three hits over 5 1/3 innings. Adolis Garcia also homered for Texas.

Brent Rooker had a double and a single and Lawrence Butler added a pair of singles for the A's. Brady Basso (1-1) yielded five runs on six hits in three innings.

Cardinals 5, Rockies 2

Erick Fedde struck out 10 over seven strong innings, Masyn Winn tripled, doubled and scored twice and St. Louis beat Colorado in Denver.

Fedde (9-9) allowed one run on six hits and a walk. Pedro Pages, Ivan Herrera and Thomas Saggese also had two hits apiece for the Cardinals. Ryan Helsley got the final two outs with one pitch for his major-league-leading 48th save.

Brenton Doyle homered and Aaron Schunk, Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Jones had two hits each for the Rockies.

American League teams in position for first-round playoff byes:

No. 1 New York Yankees (92-66, AL East leader)

No. 2 Cleveland Guardians (92-67, AL Central champion)

American League wild-card matchups, at the moment:

No. 6 Detroit Tigers (84-74, third AL wild card) at No. 3 Houston Astros (86-73, AL West champ)

No. 5 Kansas City Royals (84-74, second AL wild card) at No. 4 Baltimore Orioles (88-70, first AL wild card)

National League teams in position for first-round playoff byes:

No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers (94-64, NL West leader)

No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies (94-65, NL East champion)

National League wild-card matchups, at the moment:

No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks (88-71, third NL wild card) at No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers (90-68, NL Central champion)

No. 5 New York Mets (87-70, second NL wild card) at No. 4 San Diego Padres (91-67, first NL wild card)

DIVISION-BY-DIVISION BREAKDOWN

AL EAST

New York Yankees (92-66). Clinched a playoff spot. Can clinch No. 1 seed and wild-card-round bye with a win over the visiting Orioles in the finale of a three-game series on Thursday.

Baltimore Orioles (88-70). Clinched a playoff spot. Four games behind New York in the division after beating the Yankees 9-7 on Wednesday, with both teams having four games to play. Four games up on the Royals and Tigers with a magic number of one to seal at least the top wild card.

AL CENTRAL

Cleveland Guardians (92-67). Clinched division title. Trail the Yankees by a half-game for the best record in the AL. Beat the visiting Cincinnati Reds 5-2 on Wednesday to sweep a two-game series.

Kansas City Royals (84-74). Tied with the Tigers for the second and third wild-card spots (Kansas City owns the tiebreaker). Both teams are two games ahead of the Minnesota Twins and 2 1/2 games up on the Seattle Mariners. Earned a 3-0 road win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, with one game left in the series.

Detroit Tigers (84-74). Tied with the Royals for the second and third wild-card spots (Kansas City owns the tiebreaker). Both teams are two games ahead of the Minnesota Twins and 2 1/2 games up on the Seattle Mariners. Posted a 7-1 home win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, with one game left in the series.

Minnesota Twins (82-76). Two games behind the Royals and Tigers, who hold the final two AL playoff spots, after beating the visiting Miami Marlins 8-3 on Wednesday in the middle game of a three-game series.

AL WEST

Houston Astros (86-73). Clinched division title and locked into the No. 3 seed in the AL playoffs. Fell 8-1 to the Mariners on Wednesday in the decisive game of a three-game series. After a day off on Thursday, close the regular season with three games at Cleveland.

Seattle Mariners (82-77). Trail the Royals and Tigers by 2 1/2 games for the final two wild-card spots after winning 8-1 in the finale of a three-game series at Houston on Wednesday. After a day off on Thursday, finish the regular season with a three-game set against the visiting Oakland A's.

NL EAST

Philadelphia Phillies (94-65). Clinched the division title. Clinched a first-round bye on Wednesday after beating the visiting Chicago Cubs 9-6 on Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series. Trail the Dodgers by a half-game for the NL's best record. Off Thursday before concluding with a three-game series at Washington.

New York Mets (87-70). Tied with the Diamondbacks for the second and third wild cards, with both teams one game up on the Diamondbacks. Rained out on Wednesday and Thursday at Atlanta, setting up a makeup doubleheader against the Braves on Monday. Start a three-game series at Milwaukee on Friday.

Atlanta Braves (86-71). One game behind the Mets and Diamondbacks, who hold the second and third wild-card positions. Rained out on Wednesday and Thursday against the Mets, setting up a makeup doubleheader in Atlanta on Monday. Open a three-game home series against Kansas City on Friday.

NL CENTRAL

Milwaukee Brewers (90-68). Clinched division title. Locked into the No. 3 NL seed after losing 2-1 to the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday in the middle game of a three-game series.

NL WEST

Los Angeles Dodgers (94-64). Clinched playoff berth. Lead the Padres by three games in the division after defeating San Diego 4-3 on Wednesday in the middle game of a three-game home series. Lead the Phillies by a half-game for the best record in the majors

San Diego Padres (91-67). Trail the Dodgers by three games in the division after a 4-3 road defeat against Los Angeles on Wednesday in the middle game of a three-game series. Lead the Mets and Diamondbacks by 3 1/2 games for the top wild card.

Arizona Diamondbacks (88-71). In a virtual tie with the Mets for the second and third wild cards, with the Braves one game behind. Both New York and Atlanta hold tiebreaker advantages over Arizona. Beat the visiting San Francisco Giants 8-2 on Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series. Off on Thursday before finishing with three games against the visiting Padres.