Players of the Day for Friday, September 20, 2019
American League
Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Carlos Correa each socked fist inning home runs and the Braves inched closer to their third straight AL West pennant with a 6-4 win over the LA Angels.
After his two-run shot in the first, Correa connected again in the third inning with a solo shot to left center. The pair of homers give him 21 on the year, along with 59 RBI in a season in which he's been out of action due to injuries twice for extended periods.
Correa missed all of June and most of July and has just returned - this was his second game back - from another month off due to a sore back. In all, he's missed nearly half the season, sitting out 80 games.
Key to Houston's success in winning the World Series in 2017, the 24-year-old shortstop and 2015 AL Rookie of the Year provides slick fielding and a potent bat to the middle of the Astros' lineup.
With their magic number at one, all Houston needs to do to clinch the division is win Saturday against the visiting Angels or have Oakland lose Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers. Houston has won six straight.
The Astros cracked 100 wins for the third straight year. In 2017, they won 101 games, and 103 in 2018. This year's squad appears to be the most potent of recent vintages. The are 101-53 and are 1 1/2 games up on the Yankees for the best AL record.
Oakland is eight game behind the Astros in the West, but holds a two-game edge on both Tampa Bay and Cleveland in the wild card race. All three have eight games left to play.
National League
Mike Foltynewicz threw eight innings of shutout ball and Ronald Acuna Jr. stroked his 41st home run of the year, leading the Braves to a 6-0 win over San Francisco and their second straight NL East pennant.
Fans and players alike exploded exuberantly when Acuna made the final out on a short fly ball to center. The second-year player was on base all night, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, a double and his home run. Acuna, who scored three times, surpassed the 100-RBI threshold with his two-run poke in the fifth inning. He has 101 on the year.
Voted NL Rookie of the Year in 2018 when he batted .293, hit 26 homers, drove in 64 runs, scored 78 times, and swiped 16 bases in 111 games, Acuna verified the voters' choice this season, batting .281, with 41 homers, 101 RBI, 126 runs and 37 steals. He can still add to his totals, as the Braves still have seven games left in the regular season.
Winning the NL East with a 92-70 mark in 2018, eight games better than the Washington Nationals, the Braves are even more potent this season with a 95-60 mark and a 9 1/2 game edge on the Nats. Already assured of the second-best record in the league, they have an outside chance of catching the Dodgers for the best record should they stumble in the final week. LA has a 4 1/2 game lead, at 99-55 and clinched the West division on September 9.
Atlanta has two more home games with San Francisco, Saturday and Sunday, before finishing up the regular season on the road with two in Kansas City and three in New York against the Mets.
In the wild card race, St. Louis defeated the Cubs in Chicago for the second straight day, winning, 2-1, while Milwaukee won for the 13th time in their last 15 tries, whipping the Pirates, 10-1. With Washington taking down Miami 6-4, the Brewers have taken over the second wild card, a game behind the Nationals, with the Cubs now trailing the Brewers by two games.
St. Louis continues to lead the NL Central by three games over Milwaukee. Chicago has fallen to five back.
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| Correa: 2 HR, 3 RBI |
American League
Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and Carlos Correa each socked fist inning home runs and the Braves inched closer to their third straight AL West pennant with a 6-4 win over the LA Angels.
After his two-run shot in the first, Correa connected again in the third inning with a solo shot to left center. The pair of homers give him 21 on the year, along with 59 RBI in a season in which he's been out of action due to injuries twice for extended periods.
Correa missed all of June and most of July and has just returned - this was his second game back - from another month off due to a sore back. In all, he's missed nearly half the season, sitting out 80 games.
Key to Houston's success in winning the World Series in 2017, the 24-year-old shortstop and 2015 AL Rookie of the Year provides slick fielding and a potent bat to the middle of the Astros' lineup.
With their magic number at one, all Houston needs to do to clinch the division is win Saturday against the visiting Angels or have Oakland lose Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers. Houston has won six straight.
The Astros cracked 100 wins for the third straight year. In 2017, they won 101 games, and 103 in 2018. This year's squad appears to be the most potent of recent vintages. The are 101-53 and are 1 1/2 games up on the Yankees for the best AL record.
Oakland is eight game behind the Astros in the West, but holds a two-game edge on both Tampa Bay and Cleveland in the wild card race. All three have eight games left to play.
National League
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| Acuna Jr.: 2-2, 3 R, 2 RBI |
Fans and players alike exploded exuberantly when Acuna made the final out on a short fly ball to center. The second-year player was on base all night, going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, a double and his home run. Acuna, who scored three times, surpassed the 100-RBI threshold with his two-run poke in the fifth inning. He has 101 on the year.
Voted NL Rookie of the Year in 2018 when he batted .293, hit 26 homers, drove in 64 runs, scored 78 times, and swiped 16 bases in 111 games, Acuna verified the voters' choice this season, batting .281, with 41 homers, 101 RBI, 126 runs and 37 steals. He can still add to his totals, as the Braves still have seven games left in the regular season.
Winning the NL East with a 92-70 mark in 2018, eight games better than the Washington Nationals, the Braves are even more potent this season with a 95-60 mark and a 9 1/2 game edge on the Nats. Already assured of the second-best record in the league, they have an outside chance of catching the Dodgers for the best record should they stumble in the final week. LA has a 4 1/2 game lead, at 99-55 and clinched the West division on September 9.
Atlanta has two more home games with San Francisco, Saturday and Sunday, before finishing up the regular season on the road with two in Kansas City and three in New York against the Mets.
In the wild card race, St. Louis defeated the Cubs in Chicago for the second straight day, winning, 2-1, while Milwaukee won for the 13th time in their last 15 tries, whipping the Pirates, 10-1. With Washington taking down Miami 6-4, the Brewers have taken over the second wild card, a game behind the Nationals, with the Cubs now trailing the Brewers by two games.
St. Louis continues to lead the NL Central by three games over Milwaukee. Chicago has fallen to five back.
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