KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jonathan Heasley pitched six effective innings, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 4-1 to complete a three-game sweep. Edward Oliveras and Drew Waters homered for Kansas City. Salvador Perez also drove in a run for the Royals, extending his streak to seven straight games with an RBI. Caleb Hamilton drove in the only run for the Twins, who limp home to wrap up the season having lost 17 of their last 20 road games.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Brendan Donovan hit a grand slam in the seventh inning to lead Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals to a 5-4 victory against the San Diego Padres, snapping a three-game losing streak. Pujols remained at 698 career homers, although he did drive two balls to deep left field, one for a single and one for an out on the warning track. The next stop in his pursuit of the 700-homer club is Dodger Stadium, where the NL Central-leading Cardinals open a three-game series on Friday. Manny Machado hit his 30th homer for the Padres, who had won five in a row.
NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge fell a few feet short of a record-tying 61st homer, hitting a 404-foot drive caught just in front of the center field wall, and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-4 on Josh Donaldson’s 10th-inning single to clinch their sixth straight playoff berth. Judge had walked three times and struck out once before he came to the plate with the score tied 4-4 in the ninth. He drove a fastball from Matt Barnes just to the right of straightaway center. The ball left the bat at 113 mph, and fans waited in anticipation as Judge jogged toward first base. But they groaned in unison as Kiké Hernández made the catch a step in front of the fence.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — After losing Willie Gay Jr. to a four-game suspension for an off-the-field situation earlier this year, the Chiefs are leaning on Darius Harris to fulfill his spot in the middle of their defense on Sunday in Indianapolis. Harris has been an important special teams contributor, but has otherwise shuffled between the 53-man roster and the practice squad during three years in Kansas City. He will be tasked along with Nick Bolton in stopping Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, one of the best in the league at his position.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Jacoby Brissett threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for a score and the Cleveland Browns bounced back from their epic meltdown four days earlier to beat the rival Pittsburgh Steelers 29-17. The Browns built a nine-point lead early in the fourth on Chubb’s 1-yard run and then held on for dear life. On Sunday, Cleveland blew a 13-point lead in the final two minutes and lost by a point to the New York Jets. The Steelers pulled within 23-17 on Chris Boswell’s 34-yard field goal with 1:48 left but couldn't recover an onside kick. The Browns concluded the game with a meaningless defensive touchdown.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Americans have the stronger team and they looked the part at the Presidents Cup. Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay improved to 5-0 in foursomes. They won the opening match and set the tone. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth won the next match, and the Americans were on their way. They wound up with a 4-1 lead over an outmanned International team. The lone point for the visitors came from Si Woo Kim and Cameron Davis. Max Homa and Tony Finau won the final hole in the final match to add to the American lead at Quail Hollow.
GENEVA (AP) — Marijuana use is to stay banned at sports events. The World Anti-Doping Agency has resisted calls to change its status on the list of prohibited substances. The agency was asked to review the status of THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, after the case of United States sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson. She did not go to the Tokyo Olympics last year after testing positive at the trials meet where she won the 100 meters. WADA did decide to ban the opiate tramadol from use in competitions starting in January 2024. Tramadol use has been an issue in cycling.
THURSDAY SCORES
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Kansas City 4 Minnesota 1
Final Texas 5 L.A. Angels 3
Final Seattle 9 Oakland 5
Final Baltimore 2 Houston 0
Final Tampa Bay 10 Toronto 5
Final Cleveland 4 Chicago White Sox 2
Final N.Y. Yankees 5 Boston 4
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final San Francisco 3 Colorado 0
Final St. Louis 5 San Diego 4
Final Milwaukee 5 Cincinnati 1
Final Chicago Cubs 3 Pittsburgh 2
Final Philadelphia 1 Atlanta 0
Final L.A. Dodgers 3 Arizona 2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Cleveland 29 Pittsburgh 17