SEATTLE (AP) — Taylor Ward put Seattle ahead with a pinch-hit two-run single in the seventh inning, J.P Crawford followed with two-run homer and the Mariners beat the Los Angeles Angels 8-4 on Saturday night.
Mariners left-hander Kade Anderson threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings but left in the fourth after taking a 104 mph line drive to the left arm hit by Christian Moore. Michael Rucker came on in relief. The Mariners said Anderson had a left forearm bruise.
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Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout reacts to striking out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez, center, greets Josh Naylor, right, as they celebrate a win over the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Kade Anderson reacts after being hit by a line drive single by Los Angeles Angels' Christian Moore during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Mariners left fielder Michael Arroyo, center fielder Randy Arozarena and right fielder Lazaro Montes celebrate a win over the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Ward, who has struggled since joining the Mariners from Baltimore at the trade deadline, drove in Cole Young and Michael Arroyo with his hit off Angels lefty Mitch Farris (1-4).
Crawford hit Farris’ next pitch into the right field stands.
The Angels tied the game with four runs in the sixth. Bryce Teodosio drove in two a single off reliever Jose Ferrer, Wade Meckler scored from third on a sacrifice bunt from Tyler Heineman and Jose Siri tied it on a groundout to third base that scored Teodosio.
In the ninth inning, Josh Naylor reached on a walk and stole second base, becoming the first first baseman since George Sisler in 1920-1922 to have consecutive 30-steal seasons.
Gabe Speier pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Mariners. Carlos Vargas (3-0) got the win.
Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (1-6, 4.88 ERA) will face Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert (12-11, 3.81 ERA) in Sunday’s season finale.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout reacts to striking out during the third inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez, center, greets Josh Naylor, right, as they celebrate a win over the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Kade Anderson reacts after being hit by a line drive single by Los Angeles Angels' Christian Moore during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Seattle Mariners left fielder Michael Arroyo, center fielder Randy Arozarena and right fielder Lazaro Montes celebrate a win over the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The final day of Major League Baseball's regular season is here, and two playoff spots are still up for grabs.
The Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks are fighting for the National League's final wild card, while the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are in a race for the American League West.
In the NL, if the Phillies can beat the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, they’re in. The D-backs have to beat the San Diego Padres and hope the Phillies lose to make the postseason for the first time since 2023.
A similar situation exists in the AL, where the Astros will clinch if they beat the Athletics. The Rangers need to beat the Minnesota Twins and hope the Astros lose.
The D-backs looked like a playoff longshot just a few days ago, but a six-game winning streak pulled them within a game of the struggling Phillies in the NL wild-card race. Philadelphia has lost four in a row. Arizona has the tiebreaker if the teams finish with the same record.
The two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers are once again among the best teams in the big leagues, and they'll have several challengers in October, including the majors-leading Milwaukee Brewers and the Rays. Los Angeles is rolling into the postseason and four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani returned to the lineup on Wednesday after a stint on the injured list. He appears ready for playoff baseball.
The San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians all clinched invites to the postseason on Thursday, and Cleveland ensured Saturday it will win the AL Central over Chicago. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves are also already in the playoff field. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, a three-time AL MVP, is dealing with a right calf strain that could keep him out through at least the Wild Card Series.
American League
No. 6 White Sox at No. 3 Rangers/Astros
No. 5 Red Sox at No. 4 Yankees
No. 2 Guardians and No. 1 Rays receive a bye into the Division Series
National League
No. 6 Phillies/D-backs at No. 3 Braves
No. 5 Cubs at No. 4 Padres
No. 2 Dodgers and No. 1 Brewers receive a bye into the Division Series.
No team with a losing record has made the postseason in a full major league season. That could change Sunday.
The Astros and Rangers are both 80-81, and one of them will win the AL West. Houston owns the tiebreaker if both teams lose their regular season finales.
MLB's major awards probably won't have much drama this season.
Both MVP races have strong favorites with Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong running away with the NL honor while Houston's Yordan Alvarez is the probable choice in the AL, though Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero has also had a fantastic season. Alvarez had an outside chance at the Triple Crown a few days ago, but those odds have mostly diminished. His .315 batting average leads the league, but his 42 homers are one behind Baltimore's Pete Alonso and his 105 RBIs are six behind Alonso.
For the Cy Young Award, Milwaukee flame thrower Jacob Misiorowski and New York ace Cam Schlittler are the favorites in the NL and AL, respectively.
The Rookie of the Year races also look set with Cincinnati's Sal Stewart and his 111-RBI season the leader in the NL and Detroit's Kevin McGonigle the favorite in the AL.
There are 12 teams that qualify for MLB’s postseason, including six teams from both the AL and NL. The three division winners in each league get seeds No. 1 through No. 3, ranked by win-loss record. Then the three wild-card teams get seeds No. 4 through No. 6, also ranked by win-loss record.
The top two teams with the best record in both the AL and NL automatically advance to the Division Series. The other eight teams play in the Wild Card Series, which is a best-of-three format beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 29. In both the AL and NL, the No. 6 seed will travel to face the No. 3 seed while the No. 5 seed goes to No. 4. The higher seed hosts all three games.
The winners then advance to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and a best-of-seven World Series between the winners of the AL and NL.
Wild Card Series: Sept. 29-Oct. 1 (NBC/Peacock)
Division Series: Oct. 3-10 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)
Championship Series: Oct. 11-20 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)
World Series: Oct. 23-31 (FOX)
The Dodgers (+200) are the favorites to capture a third straight World Series title while the Brewers (+550), Rays (+800) and Yankees (+850) are viewed as the top contenders.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Injured New York Yankees' Aaron Judge sits with teammates in the dugout during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Texas Rangers second baseman Nicky Lopez, right, waits to make a catch while Minnesota Twins' Royce Lewis, left, slides safely into second on a steal during the second inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Houston Astros' Jose Altuve hits a sacrifice fly during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Athletics Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
Arizona Diamondbacks' Geraldo Perdomo runs to third base after hitting an RBI triple in the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Karl Anderson)
Injured New York Yankees' Aaron Judge pauses on the field after a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, gestures after hitting a double as San Diego Padres second baseman Sung-Mun Song looks on during the ninth inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Arizona Diamondbacks' Nolan Arenado singles off Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tanner Gordon in the second inning of a baseball game Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Texas Rangers pitcher Jordan Montgomery (52) and catcher Elias DÌaz react at the end of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Alex McFarlane reacts during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Cleveland Guardians' Nathaniel Lowe, center, celebrates with teammates after defeating the Boston Red Sox following a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, center, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, right, congratulate Mookie Betts after the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants in a baseball game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) delivers a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) celebrates in the dugout after scoring during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves in Houston, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong rounds third base on his way to scoring during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Kareem Elgazzar)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge walks back to the dugout after the bottom of the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts, right, is congratulated by Shohei Ohtani, center, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto after the Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants in a baseball game Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
