Pirates and Reds Clinch Playoff Berths; Starling Marte, Shin Soo Choo Provide Heroics; Alex Rios, Derek Holland Leads Rangers' Rout

Players of the Day for Monday, September 23, 2013

American League

Alex Rios

Derek Holland pitched a six-hit shutout and Alex Rios hit for the cycle, as the Texas Rangers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 12-0 pounding of the hapless Houston Astros, losers of 10 straight.

Derek Holland

Holland walked one and struck out nine, going the distance in his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career. The win improved his record to 10-9 on the year.

Rios, acquired from the White Sox earlier this season, got the rangers on the board early, socking a double to left that knocked in a pair of runs. In third inning, Rios reached on an infield single and later scored on a bases-loaded walk to David Murphy. After hitting a solo home run - his 18th - in the fourth inning, Rios ripped a shot to the right-center field gap for a triple to complete the cycle, driving in Elvis Andrus in the process. He finished 4-for-4 with four RBI and three runs.

Rios did not get another at-bat. With the game already out of hand, manager Ron Washington made mass replacements, saving his starters for upcoming games.

It was the third cycle in the majors this year. Mike Trout of the LA Angels on May 21, and the Astros' Brandon Barnes on July 19, both turned the trick against Seattle.

AL Wild Card Standings (through 9/23)

Team	GB
Tampa Bay	+1
Cleveland	--
Texas	-1
Kansas City	-3
NY Yankees	-4
Baltimore	-5

National League

Shin Soo Choo

Both the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates clinched playoff spots on Monday as the Cardinals dumped Washington, 4-3, the Reds dropped the Mets, 3-2, in 10 innings and Pittsburgh took down the Cubs, 2-1.

Starling Marte

Pittsburgh's win came by virtue of a ninth-inning, pinch-hit solo homer off the bat of Starling Marte that broke a 1-1 deadlock as the Pirates opened their three-game series in Chicago with a win.

Cincinnati's victory was even more dramatic, as Sin Soo Choo singled home Devin Mesoraco in the bottom of the 10th inning, the walk-off hit Choo's third, in six at-bats. Choo's single in the second got the Reds on the board with a 1-0 lead.

The Reds and Pirates remain tied for the two wild card playoff spots, at 90-67, both two games behind St. louis in the NL Central.

Cincinnati hosts the Mets Tuesday at 7:10 pm EDT in the second game of their three-game series. Pittsburgh plays game two in Chicago at 8:05 pm EDT.

Today's Trivia: What pitcher led the National League in strikeouts four straight years, from 1932 through 1935? (answer tomorrow)

Yesterday's Answer: Five. Reggie Jackson played most of his ball for the A's, Yankees and Angels, but spent a year as a Baltimore Oriole and began his career with the Kansas City Royals.

Shin Soo Choo Leads Reds to Fifth Straight Win; Raul Ibanez Powers Seattle in Rout of Yankees

Players of the Day for Wednesday, May 15, 2013

American League

Ibanez: 2HR, 6RBI

Well-traveled Raul Ibanez showed the Yankees why they shouldn't have traded him. Fortunately for the pinstripes, they won't have to see much of him for the rest of the season.

Ibanez, who began his career in Seattle and has returned home, has had stints with the Phillies, Royals and Yankees. In the first inning of Wednesday night's 12-2 rout, Ibanez capped a seven-run first inning with a grand slam off starter Phil Hughes, then further victimized Yankee pitching with a two-run homer in the fifth inning, cashing in a season-high six RBI.

Hughes didn't even make it though the first inning; Ibanez's slam sending him to a very early shower with two down in the first inning. Hughes allowed six hits, walked two and gave up seven runs, all earned.

The Mariners cranked out 16 hits, tying Oakland for second place in the AL West, seven behind Texas. Despite the loss, New York still leads Boston and Baltimore by two games in the East.

With a career spanning three decades, Ibanez is a .277 career hitter with 277 homers and 1900 hits.

The Yankees won game one of the series, which concludes Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. Game time is 7:05 pm EDT.

National League

Shin Soo Choo

While Mike Leake and three relievers were scatteing 11 Miami hits in a 4-0 Reds' victory, leadoff hitter Shin Soo Choo was adding and padding his already impressive stats.

Choo accounted for the bulk of Cincinnati's scoring, going 4-for-5 with a pair of homers, two singles, two RBI and three runs, raising his average to .322., tied with Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt for sixth-highest in the National League, right behind teammate Joey Votto (.327).

The homers were numbers eight and nine for Choo, who has tallied 19 RBI, impressive for a leadoff batter. His 33 runs leads the NL and is tied with Detroit's Austin Jackson for most in the majors.

With their fifth straight win and eighth in their last 10, the Reds remained 2 1/2 behind the equally-hot Cardinals in the NL Central race. Tehy'll be looking to sweep the Marlins in Miami at 7:10 pm EDT Thursday night.

Today's Trvia: Here's a really old-school quizzer. Back in 1886, Toad Ramsey struck out 499 batters for the Louisville Colonels of the American Association, but was outdone by a pitcher who fanned 513, a single-season record which likely will never be broken. Who was this flame-thrower?

Yesterday's Answer: As of May 15, 2013, the active strikeout leaders are C.C. Sabathia (2268) and Andy Pettitte (2354), both of the Yankees.