Oct 4, 2015 5 min read

Cole Hamels and the Texas Rangers finally clinched the AL West title on the last day of the regular season.

Hamels pitched a three-hitter, Adrian Beltre hit a go-ahead homer and the Rangers beat the Angels 9-2 Sunday, eliminating Los Angeles from playoff contention.

A year after their 95 losses were the most in the American League, two months after they were still eight games out of first place and three days after ensuring themselves a postseason spot, the Rangers wrapped up their sixth division title.

Texas plays its first AL division series game since 2011 on Thursday at Toronto.

Arizona 5, Houston 3: Houston is going to the playoffs for the first time in a decade despite ending the regular season with a loss.

The Astros led the AL wild-card race by a game heading into Sunday. They shared a few high fives in the dugout in the eighth inning after clinching it when the Angels lost to Texas.

Houston finished 86-76 to reach the postseason for the first time since playing the Chicago White Sox in the 2005 World Series. The Astros will play their first AL playoff game Tuesday night, against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Tampa Bay 12, Toronto 3: Mark Buehrle failed to become the fifth major leaguer to pitch 200 innings or more in 15 consecutive seasons, and AL East champion Toronto missed out on home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Baltimore 9, N.Y. Yankees 4: New York stumbled into home-field advantage in the AL wild-card game after a loss by Houston made the outcome of this one meaningless.

New York will enter Tuesday’s winner-take-all game against the Astros with little positive momentum after being swept in three games by Baltimore and losing six of their final seven regular-season games. The Yankees fell behind 7-1 in the fifth inning and stranded 11 runners.

Kansas City 6, Minnesota 1: Salvador Perez added to his career-best home run total, Johnny Cueto tossed five solid innings and Kansas City secured home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Cleveland 3, Boston 1: Danny Salazar finished his first season as a full-time starter on a positive note, allowing one run in 5 1/3 innings to win for just the second time in six starts.

Seattle 3, Oakland 2: Seth Smith hit a two-out, solo home run in the bottom of the eighth as Seattle rallied.

Detroit 6, Chi. White Sox 0: Daniel Norris pitched one-hit ball for five innings and Tyler Collins had a bases-clearing triple as Detroit finished its first-to-worst tumble in the AL Central.

National League

Chicago Cubs 3, Milwaukee 1: The Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Sunday for their eighth straight win, but will have to play the NL wild card game in Pittsburgh.

Even with the itinerary now taking them to PNC Park, the Cubs head into their first postseason appearance since 2008 brimming with confidence. Chicago ended the regular season with a three-game sweep in Milwaukee.

Anthony Rizzo had a two-run single with the bases loaded in the first to reach a career-high 101 RBI on the season. Starter Dan Haren (11-9) allowed three hits and a walk in six innings.

L.A. Dodgers 6, San Diego 3: Clayton Kershaw struck out seven in an abbreviated start to become the first pitcher in 13 years to reach 300 strikeouts, and NL West champion Los Angeles closed the regular season on a five-game winning streak.

Atlanta sweeps DH against St. Louis: Matt Wisler pitched four-hit ball over 8 2/3 innings, and Atlanta won for a doubleheader sweep that sent St. Louis’ batters to the playoffs with a 27-inning scoreless streak.

Philadelphia 7, Miami 2: Dee Gordon went 3 for 4 with a home run and a double to win the NL batting title over Washington’s Bryce Harper and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki pitched the eighth inning, but Philadelphia avoided a 100-loss season.

N.Y. Mets 1, Washington 0: Jacob deGrom looked especially sharp in his abbreviated playoff tuneup, and NL East champion New York finally scored on Curtis Granderson’s eighth-inning homer.

One day after Washington ace Max Scherzer pitched a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts to complete a doubleheader sweep, the Mets (90-72) made a run at a combined no-hitter of their own. They reached 90 wins for the first time in nine years and stopped a five-game losing streak that cost them home-field advantage in the Division Series against the Dodgers.