KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — In Kansas City’s first game after manager Ned Yost announced he will retire after the season, the lowly Royals burst to a six-run lead in the first three innings and beat the NL East champion Atlanta Braves 9-6 behind three hits and two RBIs from Nicky Lopez. Yost was hired by the Royals in May 2010 and led Kansas City to consecutive AL pennants and the 2015 World Series title, the second in team history and first since 1985. The Royals are 58-100 in their third straight losing season.
PHOENIX (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Jack Flaherty lost his no-hit bid in the seventh inning when Eduardo Escobar’s hard grounder took a bad hop and couldn’t be fielded cleanly by first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Escobar lined a one-hopper that may have hit the first base bag. Goldschmidt fell over changing direction and couldn’t corral the ball with his bare right hand. Arizona ended up beating the Cardinals in 19-innings.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ned Yost says he wanted to stay through the worst of the Royals’ rebuild before retiring. Kansas City went 58-104 last year and was 57-100 entering Tuesday. Yost says losing 100 games isn’t in his DNA and that he hasn’t enjoyed it, but he felt it was his “personal responsibility” to the organization. General manager Dayton Moore says the team will likely delay hiring a new manager until the proposed sale of the franchise from David Glass to John Sherman is completed, possibly in November.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — It has become a familiar refrain from schools accused of wrongdoing by the NCAA: You’re just trying to make an example out of us. Missouri said it seven months ago in an academic fraud case, and North Carolina State is banging the same drum. Now, Kansas is doing it, hoping to shift the narrative to one of victim after its storied basketball program was slapped with a series of violations that includes lack of institutional control.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The NCAA is suspending its deadlines for schools to respond to charges levied by the governing body in the wake of college basketball’s corruption scandal. North Carolina State and Kansas both face discipline from the NCAA after being named in a federal criminal case involving improper payments to recruits and their families. A letter obtained by The Associated Press says the NCAA cases against the schools won’t move forward until Nov. 20.
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State says transfer guard Rasir Bolton will be eligible for the upcoming season. Bolton averaged 11.6 points per game last season as a freshman at Penn State. He was granted an NCAA waiver for immediate eligibility. Bolton will likely start alongside graduate transfer Prentiss Nixon and sophomore Tyrese Haliburton in the backcourt.
National Headlines
WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Washington Nationals have wrapped up a National League wild-card berth by completing a doubleheader sweep while the Chicago Cubs were absorbing a 9-2 loss at Pittsburgh. Anthony Rendonlead the majors with 124 RBIs after lifting a pair of sacrifice flies in the Nats’ 4-1, Game 1 victory over Philadelphia. Trea Turner’s go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning carried the Nats to a 6-5 victory in the nightcap.
CINCINNATI (AP) _ The Milwaukee Brewers have a magic number of one for clinching an NL wild card after Ryan Braun went 2-for-3 with a solo homer in their 16th victory in 18 games, 4-2 at Cincinnati. Keston Hiura broke a 2-2 tie with a sacrifice fly in the third inning to back winning pitcher Brent Suter, who allowed three hits over three scoreless innings of relief. The Brewers are 11-2 without reigning NL MVP Christian Yelich, who is out for the remainder of the season after breaking his right kneecap on Sept. 10.
UNDATED (AP) _ The Chicago Cubs and New York Mets are right on the brink of elimination following victories by Washington and Milwaukee. The Cubs committed two of their five errors while the Pittsburgh Pirates scored seven times in the seventh to hand Chicago its season-high seventh consecutive loss, 9-2. The Mets avoided elimination as Michael Conforto slammed a pair of two-run homers before Brandon Nimmo’s bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 11th gave New York a 5-4 comeback win over Miami.
DETROIT (AP) _ Jake Odorizzi threw two-hit ball over six innings before leaving with a tight hamstring in the Twins’ 4-2 win over the Tigers. Detroit led 1-0 in the seventh until Willians Astudillo hit a two-run single and scored on Eddie Rosario’s two-run double. Taylor Rogers pitched a perfect ninth for his 29th save as Minnesota sliced its magic number to two for winning the AL Central.
UNDATED (AP) _ Oakland’s magic number to clinch an AL wild-card berth remains five after David Fletcher had three hits and Albert Pujols collected his 2,075th RBI to help the Los Angeles Angels knock off the Athletics, 3-2. Tampa Bay got within a half-game of the A’s by getting a walk-off homer from Ji-Man Choi in the 12th inning of a 2-1 triumph over the New York Yankees. Cleveland pulled within a game of Oakland as Jose Ramirez came off the injured list to belt a grand slam and a three-run homer in the Indians’ 11-0 thrashing of the White Sox.
Tuesday Scores
INTERLEAGUE
Final Kansas City 9 Atlanta 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Minnesota 4 Detroit 2
Final Baltimore 11 Toronto 4
Final Tampa Bay 2 N-Y Yankees 1 (12 Innings)
Final Cleveland 11 Chi White Sox 0
Final Boston 12 Texas 10
Final L-A Angels 3 Oakland 2
Final Houston 3 Seattle 0
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Washington 4 Philadelphia 1 (1st game)
Final Milwaukee 4 Cincinnati 2
Final Washington 6 Philadelphia 5 (2nd game)
Final Pittsburgh 9 Chi Cubs 2
Final N-Y Mets 5 Miami 4 (11 Innings)
Final L-A Dodgers 6 San Diego 3
Final Colorado 8 San Francisco 5 (16 Innings)
Final Arizona 3 St. Louis 2 (19 Innings)