Players of the Day for Monday, September 23, 2019
American League
In the only game of importance in the AL, Tampa Bay kept charging toward the post-season with a 7-4 win over the fading Red Sox.
Down 4-0 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, Ji-Man Choi ignited a six-run rally with a three-run homer off Boston starter, Jhoulys Chacin. Two more home runs in the frame - a solo shot by Nate Lowe and a two-run rip by Willy Adames - put the Rays up, 6-4, and they never looked back, the Tampa bullpen blanking Boston over the final five innings on three hits.
Choi also doubled and scored an insurance run in the sixth inning.
Tampa Bay's victory left them 1 1/2 games behind the Oakland A's in the wild card race, with Cleveland just 1/2-game behind the Rays.
Tampa has five games remaining in the regular season. Cleveland and Oakland each have six left.
The Rays took three of four from Boston and host the Yankees for two games Tuesday and Wednesday before closing out the regular season with three games in Toronto.
National League
It was the top of the sixth inning that the Phillies finally got to Patrick Corbin for a run, but by then, the Nationals had already scored five times, en route to a 7-2 victory over Philadelphia, pushing them closer to elimination from the playoffs.
Corbin didn't pitch his best game, though he held the Phillies to three hits and four walks and kept them off the scoreboard. Striking out six, Corbin threw 108 pitches, improving to 14-7, in what could be his last start of the regular season.
Acquired from Arizona in the off-season, Corbin has flourished with the Nationals, having his best season in his seven years as a major leaguer. His 3.05 ERA is a career-best and his 230 strikeouts are fourth in the league.
With seven games left on the schedule, the Nationals host the Phillies four more times, including a double-header on Tuesday. Washington needs three more wins or losses by other contenders to secure one of the two wild card spots in the National League.
The Nationals and Brewers are the two likely wild cards, with Washington up by 1/2-game over Milwaukee. Chicago is four games behind the Brewers, the Mets five back, Arizona six behind, and the Phillies 6 1/2 out.
American League
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| Choi: HR, 3 RBI, 2 R |
Down 4-0 entering the bottom of the fourth inning, Ji-Man Choi ignited a six-run rally with a three-run homer off Boston starter, Jhoulys Chacin. Two more home runs in the frame - a solo shot by Nate Lowe and a two-run rip by Willy Adames - put the Rays up, 6-4, and they never looked back, the Tampa bullpen blanking Boston over the final five innings on three hits.
Choi also doubled and scored an insurance run in the sixth inning.
Tampa Bay's victory left them 1 1/2 games behind the Oakland A's in the wild card race, with Cleveland just 1/2-game behind the Rays.
Tampa has five games remaining in the regular season. Cleveland and Oakland each have six left.
The Rays took three of four from Boston and host the Yankees for two games Tuesday and Wednesday before closing out the regular season with three games in Toronto.
National League
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| Corbin stops Phillies |
Corbin didn't pitch his best game, though he held the Phillies to three hits and four walks and kept them off the scoreboard. Striking out six, Corbin threw 108 pitches, improving to 14-7, in what could be his last start of the regular season.
Acquired from Arizona in the off-season, Corbin has flourished with the Nationals, having his best season in his seven years as a major leaguer. His 3.05 ERA is a career-best and his 230 strikeouts are fourth in the league.
With seven games left on the schedule, the Nationals host the Phillies four more times, including a double-header on Tuesday. Washington needs three more wins or losses by other contenders to secure one of the two wild card spots in the National League.
The Nationals and Brewers are the two likely wild cards, with Washington up by 1/2-game over Milwaukee. Chicago is four games behind the Brewers, the Mets five back, Arizona six behind, and the Phillies 6 1/2 out.
