The Atlanta Braves have clinched their first National League East baseball crown since 2013, with Mike Foltynewicz taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Later on Saturday, Aaron Hicks hit an RBI double with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning, and the New York Yankees clinched a wild-card spot with a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees (95-59) are assured of playing in the one-game playoff on October 3 for the second successive season. They entered with a magic number of two over the Tampa Bay Rays, who lost 5-2 to the Toronto Blue Jays.
New York still lead Oakland by 1 1/2 games for home-field advantage in the wild-card game.
For Atlanta, a year after going 70-92, manager Brian Snitker and his Baby Braves surged back into the playoffs.
A loud home crowd at SunTrust Park joined the party on Saturday when rookie Ronald Acuna Jr caught a fly ball for the final out, setting off a big celebration on the field.
All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman and the Braves will make their first MLB post-season appearance since 2013 on October 4 in the NL Division Series.
Atlanta won their fourth successive game and beat second-placed Philadelphia for the third day in a row.
The Phillies led the division in early August but faded while going 6-14 this month.
Share
