AUSTIN HEDGES

The arms race in the AL West began with Lucas Giolito and quickly escalated.

The major leagues have seen a marked increase in catcher interference calls this season.

A game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres was delayed 45 minutes Thursday due to poor air conditions caused by lingering smoke from wildfires in Canada.

The Guardians made quite a name for themselves this season.

Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge staggered Cleveland with early homers, and the New York Yankees rocked past the Guardians 5-1 in the decisive Game 5 of their AL Division Series to set up another rematch with Houston for the pennant.

Oscar Gonzalez singled in the go-ahead run with Cleveland’s second straight bloop hit in the 10th inning, and the Guardians overcame a two-run deficit to beat the New York Yankees 4-2 and even their best-of-five AL Division Series at one game apiece.

Gerrit Cole cruised for most of the night, Harrison Bader and Anthony Rizzo homered and the New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians 4-1 in their AL Division Series opener.

Angels star Mike Trout homered in his seventh consecutive game, one shy of the major league record, but the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians beat Los Angeles 5-4.

Justin Verlander pitched six scoreless innings for his MLB-leading 15th victory, Chas McCormick and Martin Maldonado each homered and had three RBIs, and the AL West-leading Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-0.

Oscar Gonzalez tied the game with a two-run single and scored on Owen Miller’s go-ahead sacrifice fly as the Cleveland Guardians rallied for four runs in the ninth inning to stun the Minnesota Twins 11-10.

Some Yankees fans in the right-field bleachers pelted Cleveland outfielders with bottles, cans and debris in a chaotic scene moments after Isiah Kiner-Falefa and pinch-hitter Gleyber Torres got RBI hits with two outs in the ninth inning to lift New York to a 5-4 win.

José Ramírez hit his second grand slam of the season, connecting during a nine-run second inning as the Cleveland Guardians roughed up Dallas Keuchel and routed the sloppy Chicago White Sox 11-1 in the opener of a doubleheader.

Thairo Estrada drove in four runs, Alex Wood continued San Francisco’s superb starting pitching and the Giants completed a three-game sweep with an 8-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians in football-like weather.

After two difficult years, Terry Francona finally feels like himself.

The Chicago White Sox clinched their first AL Central title since 2008 with a 7-2 win over the Cleveland Indians behind two home runs by Tim Anderson in the opener of a doubleheader spit.

Cleveland rookie Ernie Clement hit the first two homers of his career while Miguel Cabrera stayed one drive short of No. 500 as the Indians beat the Detroit Tigers 7-4.

White Sox rookie Seby Zavala hit the first three home runs of his career, including a grand slam, but the Cleveland Indians rallied to beat Chicago 12-11.

While most Olympic events are a competition among the best, the better you are in baseball, the less of a chance you have of playing for gold.

Shane Bieber pitched out of some early trouble before extending his strikeout record and César Hernández hit a two-run homer, sending the Cleveland Indians to a 3-2 win over the Chicago Cubs.

The Indians could be without Gold Glove catcher Roberto Pérez for months.

Josh Naylor lined into a triple play in the eighth inning, then let a routine grounder roll through his legs at first base with two outs in the ninth that led to Cincinnati’s tying run as the Reds beat the Cleveland Indians 3-2 in 10 innings.

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)Chicago White Sox outfielder Eloy Jiménez was having surgery Tuesday to repair a ruptured left pectoral tendon, and general manager Rick Hahn said the slugger still is expected to miss five to six months. Hahn said the timeline hasn't changed, though he left the door open for Jiménez to return sooner. With Tim Anderson, AL MVP José Abreu and Yoán Moncada, the White Sox have a potent lineup. But Vaughn, a first baseman who was selected by the White Sox with the No. The White Sox released veteran catcher Jonathon Lucroy on Tuesday.

Sixto Sánchez made his third start, yielding a run on three hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings. Austin Gomber gave up five runs on eight hits, four of them home runs, 5 1/3 innings. Arizona starter Luke Weaver struck out eight over 5 1/3 innings. Right-hander Adbert Alzolay continued to struggle for Chicago, allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings. BREWERS 2, GIANTS 2Brett Anderson pitched two-run ball over 5 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and striking out three for Milwaukee.

Trevor Williams went five innings in his fourth start, allowing a run on three hits. Austin Gomber made his fourth start for Colorado, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out four in 4 1/3 innings. Dylan Cease made his second start, allowing three hits and three walks in 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Matthew Boyd made his fourth start, allowing one run on four hits and a walk in four innings, striking out five. Tyler Anderson went five innings in his fourth start for Pittsburgh, giving up one run on two hits.

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.

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brady Singer delivers in the seventh inning of the baseball team's game against the Cleveland Indians, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2020, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)CLEVELAND – Kansas City rookie Brady Singer allowed just one hit — a two-out single through an infield shift in the eighth inning — and flirted with baseball history while leading the Royals to a 11-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday night. Singer gave up a one-out walk in the first but then retired the Indians with relative ease. Olivares staked Singer to a 4-0 lead in the sixth with his third homer, a shot into the empty bleachers in left field. Indians: Open key three-game series at Minnesota with ace Shane Bieber (7-0, 1.25 ERA) starting against Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda (4-1, 2,77).

The aggressive Padres landed Clevinger in a multiplayer swap with Cleveland, bolstering their rotation in a rare deadline deal between contenders. The trade deadline is normally July 31, but it was pushed back when the start of the season was delayed because of the coronavirus. BIG MIKE IS BACKMichael Pineda comes off the restricted list to make his season debut for Minnesota. RAYS UPAfter a decade spent chasing their big-budget AL East rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays are pummeling the New York Yankees. Washington slugger Juan Soto has 11 homers in just 24 games played this season after going deep twice Monday night.

The aggressive Padres landed Clevinger in a multiplayer swap with Cleveland, bolstering their rotation in a rare deadline deal between contenders. The trade deadline is normally July 31, but it was pushed back when the start of the season was delayed because of the coronavirus. BIG MIKE IS BACKMichael Pineda comes off the restricted list to make his season debut for Minnesota. RAYS UPAfter a decade spent chasing their big-budget AL East rivals, the Tampa Bay Rays are pummeling the New York Yankees. Washington slugger Juan Soto has 11 homers in just 24 games played this season after going deep twice Monday night.

The San Diego Padres acquired Mike Clevinger in a multiplayer trade with the Cleveland Indians on Monday, bolstering their rotation with another bold move ahead of baseball's trade deadline. The person confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade hadn't been announced. Led by Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego is going for its first playoff appearance since 2006. The acquisition of Clevinger is the Padres' fifth trade since Saturday. The Indians also got infielder Gabriel Arias, left-hander Joey Cantillo and infielder Owen Miller in the deal.

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger delivers in the first inning in a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, in Cleveland. Mike Clevinger, Starling Marte, Archie Bradley and Todd Frazier were on the move. Baseball's pandemic-delayed trade deadline was quite a day. The contending Padres got Clevinger in a multiplayer trade with Cleveland, bolstering their rotation Monday in a rare deadline deal between contenders. The trade deadline is normally July 31, but it was pushed back when the start of the season was delayed because of the coronavirus.

Texas Rangers catcher Jose Trevino and San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. watch the flight of Tatis's grand slam ball that came off a pitch from Rangers relief pitcher Juan Nicasio in the eighth inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Monday Aug. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)ARLINGTON, Texas Fernando Tatis Jr. homered twice, including a grand slam for his major league-leading 11th of the season, and the San Diego Padres routed the Texas Rangers 14-4 on Monday night to stop a five-game losing streak. Austin Hedges connected on his second homer, a solo shot in the fourth, as the Padres set their season high for runs. TINGLER'S HOMECOMINGFirst-year San Diego manager Jayce Tingler capped 13 seasons in the Texas organization with a return to the big league staff when Chris Woodward was hired for the 2019 season. San Diego hadn't announced a starter.