Doug Fister Fires Shutout of Twins, Tigers 1/2 Back; Mat Latos Leads Reds to Clinch in NL Central

Players of the Day for Saturday, September 22, 2012

American League

In the race for the American League Central division, the Detroit Tigers have been on the heels of the White Six for the past two months, but on Saturday, they came as close to first place as they could without actually tying Chicago.

Doug Fister

Doug Fister fired a shut out of the visiting Twins, 8-0, allowing seven hits while striking out seven with no walks, going the distance for the second time this season, throwing the first shutout of his major league career, which began in 2009 with Seattle.

Fister (10-9) needed 117 pitches to finish of the Twins, winning for the third time in his last four starts and getting the Tigers to within 1/2 game of the Sox, who were downed by the Angels, 4-2 for their fourth straight loss.

Having a game in hand (81-70 to 80-70 for Detroit), the Tigers are a win away from getting the lead outright, should Chicago stumble in their series finale at Anahiem Sunday afternoon.

The AL East continued to provide excitement galore as the Yankees won their seventh straight, a 14-inning, 10-9 decision over the A"s that has New York a game in front of the Orioles, winners of six straight.

The O's topped Boston, 9-6, in 12 innings and are two games ahead of the A's in the wild card race. Consequently, the A's are 2 1/2 up on the Angels for the second wild card and 3 1/2 ahead of the Rays.

National League

Mat Latos

The Giants and Red both clinched their respective divisions on Saturday and now can vie for home field advantage in the upcoming National League playoffs

With their magic number down to six, the Washington Nationals lead in the overall standings with a 92-59 record. The Reds, after their 6-0 shutout of the Dodgers, are 1/2 game behind, at 92-60, with the Giants, despite winning six straight, looking like they'll finish with the third-best record in the league. They are currently 89-63.
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The Red accomplished the clinching moment off Mat Latos' eight innings of scoreless work from the mound, allowing six hits while fanning seven and walking none. Aroldis Chapman worked a hitless, scoreless ninth to preserve the win.

Latos is having a excellent season, with a 13-4 record, 3.60 ERA and 1.19 WHIP.