The St Louis Cardinals have been knocked out of the Major League Baseball (MLB) wildcard race after a 2-1 defeat by the Chicago Cubs.
Cubs catcher Taylor Davis denied the Cardinals with a run-scoring double in the 11th inning to clinch victory.
It came just a day after the Cubs had secured the National League (NL) Central title for the second season in a row.
The Cardinals had started out Thursday night three-and-a-half games behind the Colorado Rockies, who were sitting in the second wildcard position, and would have had to beat the Cubs and Milwaukee this weekend to have even had a chance of tying with Colorado.
The Milwaukee Brewers kept their playoff hopes alive by overcoming the Cincinnati Reds 4-3.
Brett Phillips delivered the go-ahead run on a sixth-inning double just moments after the Reds had rallied to tie, leaving the Brewers two behind Colorado with three games to play.
Whatever the outcome, the club will record their best result since finishing 96-66 in 2011, when the Brewers lost to the Cardinals in the NL Championship Series.
The Boston Red Sox were close to clinching their first back-to-back AL East championship wins in franchise history - but will have to wait to discover their fate after being thrashed 12-2 by the Houston Astros.
They are guaranteed to at least a tie with the New York Yankees, who have lost 9-6 to Tampa Bay, but might still win the division if they secure one more victory or if the Yankees lose their next match.
Otherwise, the two teams will meet in a tie-break match on Monday in New York to determine who will play in the wildcard game, and who will advance to the AL Division Series.
The Miami Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves 7-1, while two matches finished 5-4 - the Chicago White Sox in their win over the Los Angeles Angels and the Washington Nationals over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Cleveland Indians clinched a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins, the Oakland Athletics defeated the Texas Rangers 4-1 and the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 4-1.
Share
