Jeter Finishes Home Career With Walkoff Win – MLB Roundup

NEW YORK (AP) — Derek Jeter has gone out a winner in his final game at Yankee Stadium, and he had a lot to do with the victory.

The Yankees blew a 5-2 lead in the ninth before Jeter delivered a walkoff single in the bottom half to lift the Bombers past Baltimore 6-5. Yankees players rushed out to engulf him as former teammates such as Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Andy Pettitte, Tino Martinez and Hall of Fame manager Joe Torre lined up near the New York dugout waiting to greet Jeter. He went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a run scored, giving him 1,310 runs batted in and 1,923 runs scored in his 20-year career.

Jeter hit an RBI double in his first at-bat before scoring on a grounder later in the inning. The game was tied 2-2 with the bases loaded in the seventh inning when Jeter hit a weak grounder that J.J. Hardy threw away for an error, allowing two runs to score.

The Orioles tied the game on ninth-inning homers by Adam Jones and Steve Pearce before Jeter furnished the heroics one final time in the Bronx.

It was the culmination of an eight-game final homestand for the future Hall-of-Fame shortstop, a week-long happening that saw fans stand with each at-bat, take pictures and videos while chanting Jeter's name and laud him with sustained ovations. He hit .353 with nine RBIs and five runs scored in 34 at-bats during the homestand after his average dropped to .249.

And apparently, no price was too high to be part of the festivities. Tickets on the secondary market for home game number 1,391 in Jeter's 20-season career were going for $248 in the bleachers up to $10K in section 19, right next to the Yankees dugout.

UNDATED (AP) — The San Francisco Giants had clinched a National League playoff berth before most of their players walked into the clubhouse yesterday afternoon.

The Giants had their season extended when the Milwaukee Brewers committed three errors in a 5-3 loss to Cincinnati. The Reds scored a pair of unearned runs to go ahead 3-2 in the fifth, one inning before Brandon Phillips smacked a two-run homer to put them ahead 5-2.

The Brewers were a season-high 19 games over .500 on June 28, when they led the National League Central by 6 ½ games over St. Louis. They still enjoyed a three-game lead on August 17 but have gone 11-23 since then, allowing the Cardinals and Pirates to pass them in the standings.

— The Giants watched a 6-0 lead become an 8-6 deficit before Matt Duffy laid down a bunt single to score the lead run in a three-run seventh that pushed San Francisco past San Diego 9-8. Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-3 with four RBIs, and Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford smacked solo homers for the Giants.

Elsewhere in the majors:

— Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer and Miguel Cabrera added a solo shot as Detroit doubled up Minnesota 4-2 to move closer to clinching the AL Central crown. Max Scherzer allowed two runs and five hits while striking out nine in six innings to earn his 18th win.

— The Tigers remain two games ahead of the Kansas City Royals, who reduced their magic number to one for clinching a playoff berth by downing the White Sox 6-3 in Chicago. The game was tied 3-3 in the eighth until second baseman Marcus Semien threw wildly while trying to complete an inning-ending double play, allowing Lorenzo Cain to score. Cain had four hits and Eric Hosmer homered for the Royals.

— Pittsburgh is within one game of St. Louis for the NL Central lead after Andrew McCutchen drove in three runs and scored twice in the Pirates' 10-1 pounding of Atlanta. Travis Snider and Neil Walker homered to back Edinson Volquez, who struck out 10 while yielding just four hits in seven shutout innings.

— Seattle avoided elimination from the AL wild-card races as Logan Morrison hit a three-run homer and a solo shot in a 7-5 win at Toronto. Mike Zunino also hit a solo homer for the Mariners, who are two games behind Oakland for the final AL wild-card berth with three games remaining.

— The Athletics were 2-1 losers in Texas on Adrian Beltre's solo homer in the bottom of the ninth. The A's have dropped four of their last six and are 8-17 since August 27.

— Curtis Granderson had three RBIs And Matt den Dekker singled home the tiebreaking run as the New York Mets beat Washington 7-4 in the first game of a doubleheader. The Nationals took the nightcap 3-0 as Gio Gonzalez struck out a career-high 12 while holding the Mets to one hit in seven innings.

— Rusney Castillo hit a three-run homer and Christian Vazquez went 4-for-4 with a two-run blast and three RBIs in Boston's 11-1 rout of Tampa Bay. Allen Webster held the Rays to a run and seven hits in seven innings.

— Casey McGehee (mih-GEE') hit a go-ahead, two-run double while Miami scored four times in the seventh to rally past Philadelphia 5-4. McGehee had three RBIs for the Marlins.

MIAMI (AP) — The Marlins still plan to make a multiyear contract offer to NL home run leader Giancarlo Stanton this offseason, despite his recent season-ending injury.

Stanton suffered fractures in his face and other injuries when he was hit by a pitch Sept. 11. Owner Jeffrey Loria is expected to make Stanton a franchise-record offer, but it's uncertain how receptive Stanton will be. He has expressed frustration about the cost-conscious franchise's constant roster turnover and the pitcher-friendly dimensions at Marlins Park.

DETROIT (AP) — Minnesota right-hander Phil Hughes has turned down a chance to pitch again this weekend, even though one more out would have earned him a $500,000 bonus. Hughes' half-million-dollar bonus kicks in if he reaches 210 innings this year. However, he is set to finish with 209 2/3 after a rain delay forced him out of his final scheduled start Wednesday.

While the Twins are willing to let Hughes pitch again, he says he doesn't think it would be right since the team isn't in the playoff hunt.

Hughes is 16-10 with a 3.52 ERA.